Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Utah Jazz: Live Score, Highlights and Reaction
In one of the most thrilling finishes of the season, the Utah Jazz upset the Cleveland Cavaliers Wednesday on a buzzer-beating Gordon Hayward jumper by a score of 102-100.
The Cavaliers, who didn't hold a lead until the middle of the fourth quarter, came storming back in the final minutes thanks to stellar shooting from Kyrie Irving and a fine recovery from LeBron James after an unimpressive first half.
The game appeared to be headed for overtime after James drilled a miracle three from the corner and then drew a suspect foul call on the team's final possession, resulting in three free throws. On the ensuing possession, though, Utah tossed the ball in to Hayward, and the $63 million man connected on one of the most exhilarating shots of the young NBA season.
Irving finished with a game-high 34 points on 12-of-23 shooting for Cleveland but failed to log an assist. As a team, Cleveland dished out only six assists all game, with James accounting for four of them. Kevin Love shot just 2-of-10 but connected on nine of 11 free throws and grabbed eight rebounds.
Hayward and Derrick Favors led the scoring for Utah, each contributing 21, with Enes Kanter not far behind at 18 in 27 minutes. Rudy Gobert, in just 13 minutes, scored seven points to go along with four rebounds and three blocks.
It's clear that Cleveland, now 1-3, has a lot of figuring out to do over the early portion of this season. James hasn't nearly looked himself either—which could be traditional rust, side effects from his offseason diet or possibly a result of over 40,000 career minutes logged before his 30th birthday.
Cleveland has until Friday to recover, when it'll take on the Denver Nuggets to wrap up this road trip. The Jazz take on the Dallas Mavericks that night, back at EnergySolutions Arena.
