The Cleveland Cavaliers went into Utah as the betting favorites, with Donovan Mitchell poised to go off in his return to Salt Lake City. That is certainly what happened, with Mitchell going off for 46 points in front of a crowd that gave him a loud welcome prior to the game.
The winning part was more up in the air, but with just 83 seconds left in the game the Cavs led by five points and Mitchell was cooking. Then one of the strangest sights you will see in an NBA game occurred: a seven-point possession, which turned that five-point lead into a two-point deficit. It was just the second seven-point possession of the season after Seth Curry did so for the Brooklyn Nets against the Charlotte Hornets.
Jordan Clarkson hit a 3-pointer and then came down on Caris LeVert’s foot. The play was reviewed and LeVert was called for a flagrant foul, which gave Clarkson a free throw and the Jazz another possession. LeVert then fouled Clarkson from behind to give him another three free throws. The questionable call on the flagrant helped propel the Jazz into a 13-0 run that put the game away, and the Cavs lost 116-114.
More Cavs news
The trade for Donovan Mitchell did not just occur out of nowhere. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst charts the path the Cavs took to add Mitchell, from the Jarrett Allen trade to drafting Evan Mobley to adding Lauri Markkanen.
The rumor mill is abuzz with potential trade options for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Yesterday Gage Morgan wrote about two potential trades the Cavs could make to add Saddiq Bey, and this morning we looked at a trade idea to add a “Southwest Shooter”.
NBA news
The game of the night was in Miami, where the Heat needed a record-setting night from the free-throw line to survive against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Jimmy Butler went 23-for-23 from the line and the Heat as a whole broke the team record by hitting all 40 of their free throws in the 112-111 win.
Stephen Curry made his return to the lineup for the Golden State Warriors, but they allowed a Phoenix Suns team missing four starters to get out to a massive lead and couldn’t close the game late, losing 125-113 for their third-straight loss. The LA Clippers snapped their losing streak with a win over the Dallas Mavericks, and the Orlando Magic went into Portland and dropped the Blazers.
Coming up: The Cavaliers continue their road trip in Portland tomorrow night to play the Trail Blazers.