Jazz’s surprise attempt against Donovan Mitchell’s Cavs falls just short

CLEVELAND — As Walker Kessler put it, he was a little “jumpy.”

With 3:14 left in a one-possession game, Kessler was isolated on Darius Garland. The Cleveland guard drove to his right and as he neared the rim, Kessler jumped to get in position for a block. However, Garland wasn’t there; Instead, Garland had stopped, spun and made a turnaround fadeaway.

That was one of the Cavaliers’ game-winning plays as they pulled away late to claim a 124-113 win over the Jazz Monday in Cleveland.

“I liked the challenge,” Kessler said of guarding the Cavs guards. “It’s a lot of fun. That’s why I’m glad that the coach and the staff are giving me the opportunity to show that I can guard one through five.”

That late play was loud, but for the most part, Kessler showed Monday how much of an impact he can have. He had 9 points, 16 rebounds (including eight offensive boards), three assists and three blocks.

What led to all those offensive rebounds?

“I had a lot of time to prepare before the game,” he said with a smile.

The game was delayed for nearly 40 minutes after one of the rims was bent during pregame warmups. Before the competition could begin, a new standard had to be released.

Seriously, “I pride myself on playing hard and competing, and tonight the ball went my way. Sometimes that’s not the case, but tonight it is.”

Hardy was impressed with his center’s performance. With the way Cleveland plays defense, the Jazz wanted to hit a lot of catch-and-shoot 3-pointers. That’s exactly what they did – they went 19-for-44 from deep – but that kind of game plan can often make a big man uninteresting. Kessler, however, was anything but that.

“He did a lot of good things for us, and I think his tireless pursuit of the glass, especially on offense, did a lot to increase the energy of our team,” Hardy said.

This energy led to a surprisingly hard-fought game.

The Cavaliers have the best record in the NBA (now 26-4); The Utah Jazz had one of their worst performances (7-21) – and were in the fourth game of a long road trip that had taken them from coast to coast.

So with 4:39 left, it was obviously a 1-point game.

Jordan Clarkson had 27 points, Lauri Markkanen added 26 points and Collin Sexton finished the game with 24, leading the Jazz’s surprise offense.

“The competitiveness and cohesion shown by our group has increased tremendously over the last two weeks,” said Hardy. “I think it sets the stage for real improvement.”

One player who has shown this is Kessler. Even without a lot of ball contact, Kessler helped keep the Jazz in the game. His physicality on the offensive boards got the Jazz into the bonus round early and helped lead to additional 3-pointers.

“Walker has gotten so much better,” Hardy said. “His ability to achieve victory without scoring many points continues to increase.”

The growth was not linear. Kessler had a tough second season in the league that included a lot of tough games and hard training. There have been ups and downs and more than a few difficult conversations with his coaches, but he continues to show how much of an impact he can have on winning.

However, he would like a few trips back to the line. In the final four minutes, Kessler was 1-for-6 from the free throw line.

“I’m a better free throw shooter,” he said.

However, he wasn’t the only one who had problems towards the end of the game.

Cleveland guard Donovan Mitchell scored 22 points and seven assists against his former team. That wasn’t exactly the flashiest stat, but his brief look at the game showed what the Jazz have been missing since the team traded him in 2022.

Mitchell scored 6 points in the final minutes after Utah cut its lead from 17 points to 1. He hit a short jumper and extended the lead back to 3 points. He later made a nifty move around Clarkson to extend Cleveland’s lead to five, and then he called a foul on Sexton after the Jazz had just one possession left.

As for the Jazz, they suffered from missed free throws, poor defensive plays and an overwhelming turnover from Clarkson.

And the team’s best player – Markkanen – didn’t have a single shot attempt in the final four minutes. All in all, Hardy still left the pitch proud of his team.

“I’m the first to tell them if I think they haven’t reached their own standard. And I think we did it tonight and weren’t able to,” Hardy said. “When we play that hard and move the ball like that, a lot of good things come our way. That’s why I’m proud of the team.”