Mitchell, Utah Jazz Hold Off Cavs; Bridges, Oubre Jr. Lead Undermanned Hornets Past Hawks

(Photo : Alex Goodlett/Getty Images) SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - NOVEMBER 29: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz warms up before a game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Vivint Smart Home Arena on November 29, 2021 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The Utah Jazz extended their winning streak to four games with a thrilling 109-108 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. Five players scored in double-figures for the surging Jazz, who moved to within three games of the league-leading Golden State Warriors and the Phoenix Suns in the team standings.

Mitchell helps Jazz survive Cavs' rally

Donovan Mitchell led all scorers with 35 points on 12-of-21 shooting from the field. He also had six assists and three rebounds in 39 minutes of action. Bojan Bogdanovic and Rudy Gay added 16 and 15 points, respectively, for the Jazz. Rudy Gobert dominated inside the shaded area for Utah, grabbing 20 rebounds and recording five blocks. 15 of his boards came on the defensive glass.

The victory did not come easy, though, for the Jazz, who nearly squandered a huge 15-point lead in the fourth quarter. Cleveland had a grand opportunity to steal the win in the end but Darius Garland missed his potential game-winning 28-foot jumper with just 2.9 seconds left.

Jarrett Allen tried to tip in the rebound but he also failed with his attempt. It was a disappointing loss for the Cavs, who had their four-game winning streak snapped. They have struggled at home this season, with Cleveland losing seven of their 12 games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Five threes so far for Darius Garland ♨️ pic.twitter.com/6E3Yi4SduN
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) December 5, 2021

Garland put on quite a show in Sunday's loss, scoring 31 points, dishing out five assists, grabbing four rebounds, and recording four steals. He is the first Cavs player to reach those marks since the great LeBron James accomplished that feat back in 2018.

Undermanned Hornets sink Hawks with outside shooting

Charlotte was another team that balled out on Sunday, with the Hornets pulling off a nerve-wracking 130-127 win over the Atlanta Hawks. The Hornets managed to secure the come-from-behind win with a severely undermanned lineup. COVID-19 ravaged the Hornets' roster with leading scorer LaMelo Ball, starting center Mason Plumlee, starting guard Terry Rozier, and forward Jalen McDaniels all sidelined after entering the league's health and safety protocols.

That did not affect the Hornets one bit with Charlotte putting on a shooting exhibition against Atlanta. The Hornets drilled a season-high 17 three-pointers to stun the Hawks in Atlanta. Miles Bridges led the way for Charlotte, scoring a game-high 32 points, 13 of which came in the pivotal fourth quarter.

Take over @MilesBridges! #AllFly | @hornets pic.twitter.com/qG510yUYWU
— Bally Sports: Hornets (@HornetsOnBally) December 6, 2021

Kelly Oubre Jr. made the most of his additional minutes, scoring 28 points on 11 of 17 shooting from the floor. He was sizzling from beyond the arc, knocking down six of his 10 three-point attempts. Ish Smith and Gordon Hayward scored 18 points apiece while Cody Martin provided quality minutes off the bench, nabbing 19 points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals.