Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Utah Jazz player grades

LeBron James: B+

LeBron put up a strong statline in this one, dropping 29 points, eight rebounds and six assists. He also turned the ball over six times and had problematic defensive energy at times. It’s hard to blame the man after a trip to Napa and on his birthday, though.

Kevin Love: B

Love started this game well but completely disappeared late while his jumper abandoned him. He finished with a respectable 20 points and 10 assists, but he didn’t play his best down the stretch in a game the Cavaliers needed that from him.

J.R. Smith: C-

Smith was torched yet again by an opposing shooting guard as Donovan Mitchell dropped 29 points on 10-17 shooting from the field. He also struggled mightily with his jumper and, in a play that stuck in this writer’s craw, weirdly passed out of an open three to swing the ball to...Dwyane Wade for a three of his own. Situational awareness is important for a team trying to come back. J.R. did not always have it against Utah.

Jae Crowder: C-

Crowder didn’t do much in this game, but there’s no reason he should only play 21 minutes while J.R. Smith playes 33. He didn’t make much of an impact, but he was ultimately fine.

Jose Calderon: D+

A three turnover game from Jose Calderon is exceedinly rare, but he had one against the Jazz. He wasn’t particularly crisp with the ball and missed his only shot. The Cavs likely are looking forward to a more dynamic player at point guard.

Jeff Green: B+

Green dropped 22 points and his three-point jumper was on point (4-4 from distance), but a hot start emboldened Green to go in isolation a little more than he should. With that said, it’s hard to complain with 22 points off the bench, six made free throws and two blocks. Green certainly wasn’t the problem in this one.

Kyle Korver: C-

Korver had another off-night in his 18 minutes, missing all five three-point attempts and never finding a rhythm offensively. This is not one we’ll remember in the Kyle Korver experience.

Tristan Thompson: B+

Tristan played perhaps his best game of the season, hitting all four of his field goal attempts and earning five free-throw attempts. He also grabbed five boards and blocked two shots in his 20 minutes and was on the floor as the Cavaliers made the game competitive in the fourth quarter. This was encouraging for Thompson, and during a woeful stretch for the team, you have to be encouraged.

Dwyane Wade: C+

Wade continues to fall in love with his jumper a little bit too much. He went 3-9 from the field, but his well rounded game aside from scoring helped buoy a mediocre performance from the field.

Cedi Osman: C

Osman brought a small injection of energy in his 10 minutes but wasn’t able to make a field goal in that time. He got a little too bold with a ill-advised layup attempt, but ultimately was fine in this one.