Cleveland made it seven straight with Tuesday’s white-knuckle win over the stubborn Utah Jazz, who refused to go away in the closing quarter before eventually succumbing to LeBron James’ final flurry – falling, 118-114, at Quicken Loans Arena.
The Cavaliers’ four-time MVP did a little bit of everything down the stretch – notching 17 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter, going 6-of-8 from the floor to go with four boards, three assists and a steal. On the night, LeBron was 11-for-19 from the field and 8-of-12 from the stripe, adding a game-high eight assists, seven rebounds and a pair of steals.
The fourth quarter of Tuesday’s game was a perfect microcosm of a wild night at The Q.
Alec Burks free throws early in the fourth tied the affair at 83-apiece. Burks’ layup on the next possession would trigger a 12-3 Jazz run that saw them take a nine-point edge with seven minutes to play. But Kevin Love’s three-pointer keyed Cleveland’s rally – one that saw LeBron burst through the hold of Utah’s Rodney Hood, who was trying to intentionally foul him, and score on an and-1 to get the Cavs to within a point.
LeBron’s next and-1, with 2:20 remaining, capped a Cleveland run that put the Cavaliers up seven, 107-100 – and it looked like the Wine and Gold would coast to the finish line. But Hood canned a three-pointer followed by a quick layup from Derrick Favors to put the Jazz back in business.
It was back-and-forth until the closing seconds as Utah tried to get over the hump. But Mo Williams went 3-of-4 from the line in the final eight seconds of regulation to preserve the win.
Williams was nearly perfect on the evening – going 8-of-9 from the floor, including 4-of-4 from beyond the arc and 9-of-10 from the line, finishing with a season-high 29 points to go with six boards, six assists and a pair of steals.
Kevin Love – who took a scary fall on a fastbreak layup attempt in the third quarter – followed up with 22 points and eight boards.
Matthew Dellavedova chipped in with nine points off the bench, with Tristan Thompson adding eight points, seven boards and three blocks – all in the fourth quarter.
The victory – closing out a four-game homestand – gives the Wine and Gold a 25-1 mark at The Q dating back to last January 19. They’ve won 34 of their last 35 home games in which they’ve topped the 100-point plateau and are now 16-1 in their last 17 games against the Western Conference.
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