The Cleveland Cavaliers hold a 48-39 halftime advantage over the Utah Jazz thanks to a dominant defensive second quarter on Tuesday night.
A back-and-forth first period saw the Jazz, led by rookies Ace Bailey (11 points) and Kyle Filipowski (10 points, 7 rebounds), claim a brief lead. The Cavaliers answered behind Donovan Mitchell's 13 first-half points against his former team, edging ahead 31-29 after one.
The game shifted entirely in the second quarter. Cleveland's defense clamped down, holding Utah to a mere 10 points on 4-of-21 shooting. The Jazz offense stalled completely, going over five minutes without a field goal during a critical 11-2 Cavaliers run. Evan Mobley was instrumental inside, contributing 12 points and 7 rebounds to control the paint.
While the Jazz rookie trio showed flashes, the team's scoring evaporated after the first. The Cavaliers, leveraging their veteran backcourt of Mitchell and rookie Tyrese Proctor (8 points), methodically built their lead. Utah must solve Cleveland's defensive schemes quickly to mount a second-half comeback.
