The Cavaliers hadn’t played their best basketball through the first two games of their six-game trip. And though it was good enough to top the Nets and Suns, the Utah Jazz on their home floor is a different story.
The Wine and Gold scored a season-low 12 points in the second quarter and dug themselves a hole they couldn’t climb out of – dropping their first game of the roadie, a 100-92 decision on Tuesday night at the Vivint Smart Home Arena.
No team in the league is stingier on their home floor than the Jazz, and they illustrated that fact on Tuesday – holding the Cavaliers to 37 percent shooting from the floor, including 29 percent from long-range, to go with 18 turnovers that led to 23 Jazz points.
LeBron James led both teams with 29 points, going 10-for-20 from the floor, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc – adding six boards, five assists and a game-high four steals.
He was the lone member of Cleveland’s Big Three who didn’t struggle from the floor on Tuesday night.
Kyrie Irving posted his 27th game of at least 20 points in the loss, but the three-time All-Star was just 5-for-18 from the floor – adding four boards, four assists and a steal.
Kevin Love finished with 12 points and nine boards, but went just 4-for-14 from the floor – snapping his streak of consecutive double-doubles at seven.
Whatever the arena is named from visit to visit – the gym in Salt Lake City has always been a tough place to play for the Cavaliers – who have dropped three straight in Utah – and the Big Three – who have a combined 10-24 record there.
Tristan Thompson had a rough first half against Utah’s prized big, Rudy Gobert, but easily outplayed the Frenchman in the second stanza – finishing with 12 points and 12 boards for his ninth double-double of the season.
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