How the Cleveland Cavaliers fell short Monday night against Utah Jazz

The Cleveland Cavaliers fell short of continuing their move in the right direction with a 123-112 loss to the Utah Jazz on Monday. Guard Donovan Mitchell ended the night with 21 points after notching two solid scoring nights in a split series against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Utah guard Keyonte George had a highlight night of his own for the Jazz with 32 points and nine assists.

Early moves inside from the Jazz knocked the Cavs off balance just enough to tip the scales in Utah's favor during the game's opening minutes.

Cleveland completed just one of its first eight shots as it struggled to find any kind of consistency, while the Jazz pulled away with a commanding lead using more routine plays and some early free throws. Utah would end the game with a 48.2% clip from the floor and 43.9% from 3-point range, which put them beyond their season averages that ranked them in 21st and 19th in the NBA, respectively.

Cleveland wouldn't find its footing until just after the game seemed out of reach, even as it tried nearly every trick in the book to get itself back into fighting form.

A 3-pointer from Darius Garland and an and-one from Jaylon Tyson lit a spark for the Cavs and brought them back into single digits. A back-and-forth battle still kept a potential comeback just out of reach for the now-steadied Cavaliers, who fought back with all their might even as the Jazz started to land a barrage of 3-pointers.

Mitchell and Nae'Qwan Tomlin put the Cavs back within striking distance as they used assists from Evan Mobley to knock down some much-needed buckets. A string of stops and long-range makes would give way to Cleveland's first lead of the game with a few minutes before the end of the half.

George led a third-quarter charge for the Jazz that saw him knock down five of his eight shots from the floor. It would be smoother sailing for Utah from there, where it would ultimately seal the win with a short run led by two former Cavs forwards.

Lauri Markkanen led the Jazz with just under 28 points per night, a career-high for the Finnish forward, entering the Monday matchup. The one-time All-Star sat out of a 150-95 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday, one of their worst losses in team history, but returned to the lineup in Cleveland's home bout. Markkanen would end the night with 28 points and 12 rebounds as he played with a purpose for the Jazz.

Center Jusuf Nurkić found a way to pass him up on the boards with 17 rebounds, which would need to be a key difference-maker after the Cavs and Jazz have been nearly dead even in rebounds per game over their last five matchups.

Jan. 12, 2026; Cleveland Cavaliers v. Utah Jazz. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images — Jan 12, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) drives to the basket against Utah Jazz center Jusuf Nurkic (30) during the first quarter at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Cleveland entered the night tied with the Orlando Magic at seven games behind the East's leading squad in the Detroit Pistons.

The Cavs have alternated between wins and losses after a three-game win streak, but ended their last matchup on a high note with a win over the Timberwolves. Cleveland nearly tied things up at the half before using second-half surges to push their way into the lead. Six double-digit scoring performances, including 28 points from Mitchell, countered 25-point nights from Anthony Edwards and Naz Reid.

The Cavs will move on to face the Philadelphia 76ers at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday in Xfinity Mobile Arena. The game will be broadcast on ESPN and FanDuel Sports Network - Ohio.