Utah Jazz vs Cleveland Cavaliers Box Score on Dec 16, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Dec 16, 2017

CLEVELAND -- LeBron James passed Larry Bird for sixth place in career triple-doubles and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Utah Jazz 109-100 on Saturday night at Quicken Loans Arena.

James' 60th triple-double in 15 seasons included 29 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. It was his third triple-double in a now-completed four-game homestand -- each game won by the Cavs.

James scored 10 points in the fourth quarter. He was 9 of 15 from the field and 10 of 10 from the free-throw line.

James' drive to the hoop with one second left gave the Cavs an 80-73 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Kevin Love had 15 points and five rebounds, and rookie Cedi Osman scored a career-high 10 points for Cleveland.

The Jazz were playing without Rudy Gobert (knee injury) and Derrick Favors (eye laceration), who were both hurt in Friday's win over Boston.

Donovan Mitchell paced Utah with 26 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter, and Royce O'Neale and Thabo Sefolosha each scored 12 points off the bench.

The Jazz made 17 3-pointers to Cleveland's 10. The Cavs have made at least 10 3s in a team-record 19 consecutive games.

The Jazz led 24-23 after one quarter, but the highlight from the first 12 minutes belonged to James. He caught an alley-oop in transition from Jeff Green with his left hand -- but on the right side of the rim -- and dunked it with 58.7 seconds to go.

James racked up 11 points, six boards and three assists in the first quarter.

Nine 3-pointers on 18 attempts kept the Jazz close in the first half. The Cavs led 51-48 at intermission.

Cleveland center Tristan Thompson returned from his one-game absence (sore left calf) and scored four points in seven minutes, adding two rebounds and two steals in the first half. He had missed 20 of the last 21 games.

NOTES: The Jazz said C Rudy Gobert suffered a sprained PCL and bone bruise in his left knee and would be re-evaluated in two weeks. Gobert, who already has missed 11 games because an injured right knee, underwent an MRI exam after getting hurt not two minutes into Friday's win over Boston. Gobert is averaging 11.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks this season. "I was trying to find a silver lining -- there isn't one -- but I guess the fact it wasn't as serious as it could have been is one," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. … Cavs F LeBron James told cleveland.com he knew he would have this kind of dominant season during the summer. “When you know, you know," he said. "My body was recovering so rapidly. I was doing three-a-days. I was waking up at like 6 o'clock in the morning, or sometimes 5 o'clock in the morning. ... And I just seen that my shot was getting better and better. My mind started getting stronger and stronger." James entered the game averaging more points (28.1) than he has in nine seasons, and career highs in assists (9.1), shooting (.578) and 3-point shooting (.411). ... James also suggested he was unhappy that a hot mic picked up what he said to Lonzo Ball after Cleveland beat the Lakers Thursday. "Some things could be held private, like my conversation with Lonzo," he said. ... The Jazz still have two games left on a six-game road trip. They play the Houston Rockets on Monday.