Cavs scrape past tanking Jazz 122-113

Mar 30, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley (4) dunks the ball against Utah Jazz forward Cody Williams (5) during the first half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images Much to the delight of both organizations, the Cleveland Cavaliers did enough to pull out the 122-113 win over the tanking Utah Jazz to start their brief three-game road trip. This game was much closer than it should’ve been in the fourth quarter.

The Jazz were without six rotation players and came into this game losers of their last five and having dropped nine of their last 10. Meanwhile, the Cavs rested two key rotation players, Max Strus and Jarrett Allen, in preparation for tomorrow’s game with the Los Angeles Lakers . That, combined with being without Dean Wade (ankle) and Jaylon Tyson (toe), left the Cavs thin on bench reserves.

However, that itself doesn’t explain why this game was close late. Cleveland simply couldn’t put the game away despite having several chances to do so early. They opened the second quarter on a 13-1 run, which allowed them to stretch their lead to 14, but they didn’t keep their foot on the gas, allowing the Jazz back into the game before the break.

This happened once again in the third quarter. The Cavs pushed the lead to 15 midway through the third, but then allowed the Jazz to claw back. They tied things up three-and-a-half minutes into the fourth and even took a brief two-point lead with five minutes left in the contest.