As well as they played to get back in Saturday's game against the Cavaliers, as well as they played in two games without Deron Williams and down to just nine players, the Jazz couldn't be completely satisfied with the end result. After trailing from the start Saturday against the Cavaliers, the Jazz came back to take their first lead of the night in the last two minutes but faltered down the stretch with questionable shot selection and defense. With the Jazz trailing 103-101 and 28.8 seconds left, Andrei Kirilenko fired and missed a 28-foot 3-pointer with 22 seconds remaining on the shot clock. The Jazz were deprived the chance to set up a play or attack the basket.
"I thought it was a play that he should have taken the ball to the basket," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said, "because I'd just said in a timeout, 'They don't want to foul you.' You've got to at least try to come away with something.
"Those things happen, and they happen too frequently sometimes, and that's what costs you the game."
The Jazz found themselves trailing after giving up a three-point play to LeBron James, who drove down the lane for a layup. Carlos Boozer arrived late and reached in for the foul.
As a result, the Jazz headed home after going 2-2 on their four-game road trip. They went 1-4 on a five-game Eastern Conference trip last November that included three of the same stops. Williams is expected to be back in the lineup Wednesday when Utah plays host to the Raptors in the first game of a back-to-back set.
CAVALIERS 107, JAZZ 103: The Cavaliers beat the Jazz in Cleveland for the sixth consecutive season, a span that covers Carlos Boozer's entire tenure in Utah. LeBron James finished with 21 points, nine assists and six rebounds but was 6-for-15 overall and 0-for-3 from 3-point range.
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