Apr 01, 2026
3 min read
Mobley's 34-point lead helped the Cavs escape Utah with a win.
The Cleveland Cavaliers had enough to beat the Utah Jazz 122-113 thanks to 34-point performances from Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell.
10 takeaways from Cavs' narrow 122-113 win over Jazz: Evan Mobley controls fourth quarter
Mobley's 34 points help the Cavs escape Utah with a win.
How much can you get in this game?Tanking has been a part of the NBA for decades, but few teams have been as shameless as the Jazz.
Utah has taken the art of tanking to a new extreme.Last month, they failed to finish their best players' games, resulting in a $500,000 fine.Then the league didn't seem to believe them when they tried to rule out Lauri Markkanen due to a hip injury, and it was rumored they would send an independent doctor to verify the diagnosis before deciding against it.And they are among the teams at the center of the league's initiative to end tanking.
Despite Adam Silver's best efforts, the Jazz entered this game on a five-game losing streak, losing nine of their last 10.
Unsurprisingly, they were also without several key players in Monday's game as they were without Markkanen (hip), Jaren Jackson Jr. (knee), Walker Kessler (shoulder), Jusuf Nurkic (nose), Keyonte George (hamstring) and Isaiah Collier (hamstring). Few teams will be competitive if they are missing multiple starters.This is especially true for those who are not designed to be competitive in the first place.
The Cavs knew all this too.They also decided to rest two key players, Max Strus and Jarrett Allen, ahead of Tuesday night's battle against the red-hot Los Angeles Lakers.This makes it difficult to climb.It is also foolish to overreact to everything that happens on the field.
Aside from that premise, let's see if we can get at least a few things out of it.
The Cavaliers are now 14-2 when Donovan Mitchell scores 34 or more points and 20-9 when he scores 30 or more.
The team has gone as Mitchell has been this season.It was on display again as Mitchell's previous teams couldn't stop him from getting to the basket whenever he wanted.This led to Mitchell going 7-9 in the paint and 11-12 from the charity stripe.
Tyrese Proctor was the exception from a forgettable bench performance.He took advantage of his opportunities by scoring eight points on 3-6 shooting in 12 minutes of action.
It wasn't a spectacular performance, but it showed how Proctor can contribute.He found the scoring and was a part of the overall offense, including one of Sam Merrill's eight three-pointers.
Speaking of which, the Cavs went just 6-32 (18.8%) from three (2nd percent).
I'm not sure it's worth going out that much.Cleveland created some open looks, but they just didn't go away.Merrill went an uncharacteristic 0-8 from the line.
On the one hand, it's worth noting that the Cavs aren't going to win many playoffs if they shoot this badly from three.It's worth noting, though, that Cleveland was still in the 67th percentile in offensive rating despite shooting poorly from deep.
Evan Mobley's strong offense in the paint helped alleviate the team's poor outside shooting.He did a good job of constantly finding ways to get into the teeth of Utah's defense and finish inside.That resulted in 34 points on 15-21 shooting, including 10-12 at the rim.
The Cavs are at their best — especially since they added James Harden — when they get into the paint and set up the rest of their offense from there.This is where Cleveland doubled up on Utah inside, outscoring them 82-40 in the paint.Mobley's intensity as a senior played a big part in that.
Additionally, Mobley scored in his fourth straight as he recorded a team-high 10 points in the final frame.He single-handedly scored on three straight possessions late to put the game away despite five fouls.
The Cavs had trouble playing Mobley late, even on the nights he did.Being able to find him in the clutch — and his run essentially closing out the game — was encouraging on a night where Mitchell still played well on offense.
Harden was bought as the prototypical point guard for this team.He has willingly ceded the scoring reigns to someone else on the team.Tonight, that means delaying Mobley and Mitchell.
Since arriving in Cleveland, Harden has often played as if he was creating teammates rather than scoring himself.A game like this — against a team he seemed to be able to manipulate at will — underscored just how true that is.
Almost every move he made off the dribble was made to create a window to pass or open a lane for a teammate to fill.Shot attempts almost seemed like a way to keep defenses honest, though the top 10 scorer in league history doesn't need to remind opponents that he can still do that.
Half of Harden's 14 assists went to Mobley with five of them coming off jumpers and jumpers.
These activities grow differently, but you will notice three similarities between them.
First, the ball is always delivered above Mobley's waist.This allows him to maintain speed after the catch.
Second, you can see that Mobley is working hard on these moves.And if he does not resist, it is because he has found a window to sit on.It was a dramatic change from what it looked like when Harden first arrived in Cleveland.Before that, Mobley always bathed the screen.Now he does not.
Finally, Mobley's contact on these screens varies depending on the situation.Instead of automatically sliding the screen, he's reading that he needs to set a hard screen, just make contact, or exit quickly.This makes it very difficult to defend because there is an element of surprise that was not there before.
This game was far from perfect -- especially defensively -- but it's incredibly encouraging that the Cavs once again found a way to get their three best players to perform at near-peak levels while sharing the court.
Basketball is often won by teams that have the best combination of three or four people working together.Right now it's the Cavs.We'll see if it holds up when the games actually start in a few weeks.
