Bojan Bogdanovic scored 28 points, Rudy Gobert added 20 and the Utah Jazz began a four-game trip against Eastern Conference teams with a 126-113 win on Monday night over the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers, who dressed only nine players and used just seven.
Donovan Mitchell had 19 points and nine rebounds, and the Jazz made 20 3-pointers while staying in the fifth playoff spot out West.
Collin Sexton scored a career-high 32 points and Kevin Love scored 22 for Cleveland, which dropped to 3-4 under coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
The Cavs were missing two starters: center Andre Drummond (strained calf) and rookie point guard Darius Garland (strained groin). They sat on the bench in street clothes along with big man Tristan Thompson, who missed his second straight game with a bruised knee.
Bickerstaff was proud of the way the Cavs stepped up despite missing so many key pieces. Four of Cleveland’s players logged at least 39 minutes.
“These guys showed up,” Bickerstaff said. “They knew they were undermanned because of all the guys that were going to be out. They scrapped. They left it all out there. You almost have to play perfect. The effort was there all night. I give these guys a ton of credit for competing the way they did.”
Drummond’s absence forced Bickerstaff to play Love at center against the 7-foot-1, shot-swatting Gobert, who went 8 of 9 from the floor, added nine rebounds and affected as many shots as he got his hands on.
Bickerstaff chose not to play two of his reserves — Matt Mooney and Dean Wade, who have spent most of the season with Canton of the G-League.