A month ago, you would probably think that a matchup between the Utah Jazz and Cleveland Cavaliers wouldn't be compelling.
The Jazz were coming off a stellar 2020-2021 season, but it ended in disappointment in the playoffs. They were a regular-season juggernaut and won a league-best 52 wins. On the other hand, the Cavaliers finished with a 22-50 record, an afterthought in the East. The last time they met for a game back in March, the Jazz won by 39 points.
But after more than 20 games into the current NBA season, a battle between the Jazz and Cavaliers is all kinds of intriguing.
The Cavaliers are no joke with a 13-10 record and an active four-game streak. They recently carved out a 116-101 victory over the Washington Wizards, another team making a surprise this year. Between the additions of Ricky Rubio and Lauri Markkanen, sensational plays from Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen, as well as the Rookie of the Year campaign of Evan Mobley, they look like a legit team with high aspirations. As fellow NBA.com Philippines writer Jon Rodriguez wrote, the Cavs are a different kind of bad.
In their win over the Wizards, Garland was all kinds of nasty with 32 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds. He shot a spicy 64.7 percent from the field, including five triples. Allen was equally a beast with 28 points and 13 rebounds. Despite navigating the season without Collin Sexton, the wins have been piling on.
For the Cavs, the upcoming game versus the Jazz is another challenge from a contender. They failed in their previous tests against the Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors, and Phoenix Suns, but they are coming off impressive wins over the Miami Heat and the aforementioned Wizards.
The 15-7 Jazz may not be the show-stoppers they once were a year ago when they continuously busted out win streaks, but they remain deadly nonetheless. In their recent win over the Boston Celtics, they exploded for 27 3-pointers. Donovan Mitchell notched 34 points while Mike Conley had a fantastic showing with 29 points, highlighted by a 7-for-7 display from beyond the arc.
The Jazz are second in the league in putting points on the board with 114.2 per game. To make a case for a captivating duel, the Cavaliers are second in the league in limiting their opponents' scoring at 101.7 points per game, behind only the Warriors.
The upstart Cavs are no longer their old selves and can certainly give the Jazz all they can handle. Catch the game live on Monday, 3:30 AM on NBA TV Philippines via Smart GigaPlay app or Cignal TV.
