Cavaliers at Jazz
The Utah Jazz aim to extend their season-best winning streak to six games when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday. Utah has won by an average of 13 points during the stretch after rolling to a 129-109 road victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.
Utah began its winning streak with four straight home games before traveling to Los Angeles and now begins another four-game stretch against the Cavaliers. "We're a lot more focused," star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell told reporters after the rout of the Clippers. "It was helpful to stay home a little bit. We're locked in, we're ready to go." The Cavaliers have lost 13 of their last 14 games and are coming off a 129-112 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday. "When you get down against a team like this and you have to fight back, it's tough," Cleveland coach Larry Drew told reporters. "You know, I told the guys after the game, on the road, you just can't dig those type of holes against a good team. We just weren't able to overcome that deficit."
TV: 9 p.m. ET, FS Ohio (Cleveland), AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain (Utah)
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (9-36): Shooting guard Rodney Hood scored 20 points against the Trail Blazers as he warms up for his first visit to Salt Lake City since Utah traded him to Cleveland last February. Hood, who played 3 1/2 seasons with the Jazz, had 12 points in 25 minutes on Jan. 4 when the Cavaliers dropped a 117-91 decision to the Jazz. Backup shooting guard Jordan Clarkson scored 22 points off the bench against Portland and has topped 20 points in four of the past six games.
ABOUT THE JAZZ (25-21): Mitchell scored 28 points against the Clippers to become first Utah player to score at least 25 points in seven straight games since Karl Malone in 1998. Center Rudy Gobert, who scored 23 points, also equaled a Malone feat when he had 22 rebounds against Los Angeles to become the first player since "The Mailman" in 1988 to record back-to-back 20-rebound games. "The numbers the last two games, obviously, those are terrific numbers," Jazz coach Quin Snyder told reporters afterward. "Even the first half when he wasn't scoring as much, his presence on the court offensively, putting pressure on the rim. He's getting more nuanced."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Cavaliers have lost last their four visits to Utah.
2. Jazz swingman Kyle Korver is 13-of-24 from 3-point range over the past three games and is averaging 18 points during the stretch.
3. Cleveland backup PG Matthew Dellavedova is 6-of-18 shooting over three games after a 6-of-8 effort for a season-high 17 points against the New Orleans Pelicans on Jan. 9.