The Utah Jazz (4-5) lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Orlando Magic in the first three games of a four-game road trip. Utah fought hard against the Cavs and Heat as the final moments determined the outcomes of the games.
Utah lost 118-114 to the Cavs, 92-91 to the Heat and 102-93 to the Magic.
Cleveland four-time MVP LeBron James single-handedly carried the Cavs to victory in the fourth quarter in their 118-114 win over the Jazz on Tuesday, Nov. 10. James scored 17 of his 31 points in the final quarter.
Utah shot 48.8 percent as six different players scored double figures. Alec Burks led the Jazz with 24 points off the bench, Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors both scored 17 points, Rodney Hood and Trey Burke each had 16 and center Rudy Gobert had 15 points.
Utah’s next game also came down to the wire in a 92-91 loss to the Miami Heat two days later on Thursday, Nov. 12. Heat guard Dwayne Wade did not play because he his son was in the hospital. Jazz center Rudy Gobert also did not play due to an ankle injury.
The game included eight ties and four lead changes, but Utah couldn’t hold on when it mattered. Burks brought the Jazz within two points at 86-84 with 54 seconds left in the game, but Miami responded with a quick shot and four free throws. Burks scored a last-second 3-pointer but it wasn’t enough.
Favors led the Jazz with a double-double of 25 points and 12 rebounds, as well as two assists. The team shot 32.8 percent.
“To be where we were tonight and be where we were against Cleveland says a lot about how hard these guys are playing,” Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder said in a press release. “To get the kind of effort we got tonight from (Favors) with Rudy out, and for Gordon and Alec to play the way they did, you can’t be upset about the performances our guys gave.”
Utah trailed Orlando by 18 points at the end of the first quarter and never recovered in its 102-93 loss on Friday, Nov. 13. The Magic led by as many as 22 points, but the Jazz came back within nine points in the fourth quarter.
The injuries of Gobert and Hood, and early foul trouble allowed Utah to utilize every available player on the bench. The Jazz shot 39.1 percent as Hayward and Burke led the team with 16 points each.
The Jazz will play the final game of a four-game road trip against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 4 p.m. MST. Utah will return home two days later to host the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m. MST and then travel to play the Dallas Mavericks on Friday, Nov. 20, at 6:30 p.m. MST.
