Mar 5, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving (2) stands at center court during a game against the Utah Jazz at Quicken Loans Arena. Utah won 109-100. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

For three quarters, Cleveland Cavaliers star Kyrie Irving simply was not himself. He looked out of rhythm, a little lethargic and was shooting well below 50 percent from the field.

But as we’ve come to expect, Irving took over in the fourth quarter. Coming back into the game with 7:26 left to play, the Duke product scored 11 points down the stretch to lead the Cavaliers back from an 11-point deficit as the Cavaliers defeated the Utah 104-101.

To win the game, the Cavaliers went on 12-1 run to seal the comeback – as well as survive a coast-to-coast drive from former Cavalier Mo Williams, who was playing his first game since December 22^nd.

To quote Cavaliers coach Byron Scott, the Cavaliers should consider themselves lucky to have won this gam

Irving finished the game with a team high 20 points and 10 assists, with Tristan Thompson adding 16 points and 12 rebounds. Wayne Ellington, starting his second straight game for the sick Dion Waiters, also added 16. Gordon Hayward led the Jazz with 24 points off the bench.

Outside of the fourth, the first quarter was the strongest for the Cavaliers. Even though Irving struggled mightily, the Cavaliers won the quarter by a score of 23-19. Going against a very formidable Jazz frontcourt (even without Al Jefferson), Tristan Thompson was aggressive against Paul Millsap, and was largely effective early. Sans a few buckets from Ellington, Thompson was the one Cavalier to play a steady opening quarter, as he scored seven points and four rebounds.

From there, however, the Cavaliers level of play largely decreased and the Jazz took full advantage. With the second unit in, the Cavaliers originally stretched the lead out a bit – only to have it slowly taken away by Utah’s second unit. Lead by Hayward, the Jazz started making shots and took the lead. With the deficit growing as high as six, Cleveland could not take really get back in the groove.

To make matters even more troublesome, no Cavalier reached double-digit scoring until Ellington hit a three-pointer with 6:41 to give him 12 points. Also, the Jazz held a 10-1 advantage in fast break points through two quarters – an area the Cavs usually thrive in. At the half, Cleveland trailed the Jazz by a score 51-49.

In the third, it got even more out of hand for the Cavs. Randy Foye, who hit three threes the last time the Cavaliers took on the Jazz, did the exact same in the third quarter. Lead by Foye and Heyward, the Jazz’s bench play carried over into the third. By the end of the period, the Cavaliers found themselves down by a score of 76-68.

In fourth, with neither team really playing defense, the Cavaliers somehow found their way back into the game. Time and time again, they would make mini-runs to come within three points only to have the Jazz score two quick buckets to extend the lead. On one such sequence, C.J. Miles (who scored 11 points in the fourth) hit back-to-back threes only to have them nullified by the Jazz. When finally got going, he missed a free throw that could have been a deathblow. But due to some sheer luck and some now standard brilliance from the young blood, the wine & gold were able to pull this game out.

As usual, there were things to both like and dislike coming out of this game. As Zak Kolesar pointed out the other day, the Cavaliers again mightily struggled in the third quarter. The Cavaliers bench (a strength of late) was outscored 56-34 and the Cavs were also were outscored in fast break points 16 to five.

But on the flip side, the Cavaliers did out-rebound the Jazz by 11 and also committed four less turnovers.  And perhaps most importantly, the Cavaliers were able to bounce back from the collapse the suffered against the Knicks the other night. Even though they played sluggish at times, there was no apparent hangover from that disappointing loss. That’s a good sign for team that 1) was again not a full strength and 2) had to dig deep to pull this game out.

Let us also remember that this was a tough game for Irving before that fourth quarter. He was not shooting well at all up until the fourth and finished shooting an even 35 percent from the field. But in that fourth quarter he was once again superb and reminded us all that he is truly one of the leagues best young talents.

Lastly, this win helps the Los Angeles Lakers make the playoffs, as they are chasing the Jazz out in the Western Conference for a playoff bid. Remember: If the Lakers make the playoffs, the Cavaliers will get their first round draft this June. If not, the Lakers hold onto it.

The Cavaliers will next take the court against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday. Tip-off is at 7:30 PM, live from Quicken Loans Arena.

Tweets of the Night

Cavs beat the Jazz, Lakers beat the Hornets. Great work.

— Conrad Kaczmarek (@conradkaczmarek) March 7, 2013

More Mo Williams on Kyrie Irving: “Kyrie is Kyrie. He’s a hell of a basketball player. I’m a fan. It’s fun to see his growth.”

— Sam Amico (@SamAmicoFSO) March 7, 2013

Just finished Utah-CLE. Awful, borderline inexcusable loss for Utah. Kyrie was great late, both teams were bad defensively.

— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) March 7, 2013

Kyrie says the only way his knee gets totally better is if he sits the rest of the season and he’s not doing that. So he’ll play thru pain.

— Conrad Kaczmarek (@conradkaczmarek) March 7, 2013

Great team win tonight!!! Good step in the right direction tonight fellas!!! Cavs

— Marreese Speights(@Mospeights16) March 7, 2013

Kyrie joked about his last few mins when he took over: “That’s kind of my thing. They call me Captain Clutch around these parts”

— Conrad Kaczmarek (@conradkaczmarek) March 7, 2013

Mar 4, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard C.J. Miles (0) shoots in the fourth quarter against the New York Knicks at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The flu has made its way around the Cleveland Cavaliers’ (20-40) locker room. Dion Waiters will be missing his second straight game due to an illness, along with shooting guard Daniel Gibson. The reserve guard has played 22 minutes over the last 15 games, scoring three points in that time. The Utah Jazz (32-28) will be without center Al Jefferson (good timing for Zeller?), and Mo Williams is a game-time decision for his return to Cleveland. He will probably receive a warm welcome as always due to the fact that we traded him for Kyrie Irving:

Opponent’s Blog: Purple and Blues

Venue: Quicken Loans Arena – Cleveland

Tipoff: Wednesday, March 6 at 7 p.m.

Betting Line: Jazz by -1

Where you can watch: Fox Sports Ohio

Where you can listen: WTAM (1100 AM), WFUN (970 AM)

The Cavaliers didn’t hang their heads low for long after an excruciating defeat dished out by the New York Knicks. After being up by more than 20 points in the first half, the Knicks dominated in the second act to mount an improbably comeback victory without their star player. Situations like the one we saw on Monday night have happened too often for the Cavaliers this season. They know how bad it stings, but they also have the experience of getting right back on the horse.

The game may have had a different outcome if the Cavaliers hadn’t been overworked due to Zeller and Waiters being out. With a day’s rest in between, the Wine and Gold are ready to give the fans the victory they jipped them of on Monday.

With Waiters and Gibson on the bench, former Utah player C.J. Miles will be seeing plenty of time at the two. In his first game against his old team of seven seasons, Miles scored 12 points in 36 minutes. He will probably see around the same amount of playing time on Wednesday night due to Wayne Ellington’s poor performance on Monday.

Without Jefferson in the frontcourt mix, the Cavaliers may have a chance at victory tonight. Jefferson is the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, as he averages 17.7 points and 9.4 rebounds. Paul Millsap should be returning to the lineup tonight. He is second in command behind Jefferson, as he averages 15.2 points and 7.4 rebounds.

The Cavaliers will have to deal with him and Derrick Favors, who is a defensive monster. Tristan Thompson will need to stand tough if he wants to work his baby hook against Favors. It can be done, but he has to be quick on his feet against the swarming Jazz defenders.

Marreese Speights, who is coming off his best performance as a Cavalier, will provide extra help down low in combating Millsap and Favors. If he can have another shooting night like last night, it will open things up down low for guys like Thompson or Zeller.

Utah needs to figure out what their point guard situation is. Should they trust Williams during this month-and-a-half stretch? Irving will have a field day with whomever he’s matched up against, and he needs to bounce back from his previous shooting performance against the Knicks. I’m leaning toward the Cavs in this game. The Jazz are on the downswing. I predict them to miss the playoffs.

March 31, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Utah Jazz small forward C.J. Miles (34) dunks to score a basket against the Los Angeles Clippers during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Utah Jazz know firsthand how hard it has been for the Cleveland Cavaliers to endure their unfriendly road schedule. Cleveland has currently played the most away games so far, and Saturday will be the end of their second exhausting West Coach trip of the season. With 25 games under their belt away from Quicken Loans Arena, a young Wine and Gold squad has definitely been road tested. The Jazz, along with the Denver Nuggets, are in the same boat with only one less game played outside of the confines of EnergySolutions Arena. Here’s some information to get you ready for Saturday night’s contest:

Opponent’s Blog: Purple and Blues

Venue: EnergySolutions Arena – Salt Lake City, Utah

Tipoff: Saturday, January 19 at 9 p.m.

Betting Line: Jazz by -8.5

Where you can watch: Fox Sports Ohio

Where you can listen: WTAM (1100 AM), WFUN (970 AM)

Time and time again throughout the 2012-13 season we have seen the Cavs get out to a blazing start in the first quarter, only to get outworked in the final three minutes of the first half. That loss of momentum at the end of the second quarter, combined with the growing pains of a young Cavalier squad, is enough to erase the largest of margins (26 points against the Phoenix Suns earlier this season) in the second act of the game. With Cleveland’s ability to get off to streaky starts (rank 13^th in first quarter scoring) countered with Utah’s capability to play big in the second half should be enough to elicit, unfortunately, another typical outcome for the Wine and Gold.

The Jazz currently hold seventh place in the Western Conference after a big win Monday night against the Miami Heat. This could work in Cleveland’s favor, however. Not playing in four days could allow the Cavs to take advantage of a cold Utah team early on. This always could go the other way in terms of the Jazz being well rested and the Cavaliers being tired at the conclusion of their West Coast trip. Cleveland bigs Tristan Thompson and Tyler Zeller will have to control the duo of Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap the same way that they contained J.J. Hickson and LaMarcus Aldridge of the Portland Trail Blazers from the onset on Wednesday. They led the team in scoring, with averages of 17.4 and 14.9 points respectively. After a well-rounded performance against Hickson, Zeller can’t risk getting into foul trouble early, thus sending Jefferson – who shoots 85 percent from the charity stripe – to the free throw line.

A familiar face in Mo Williams will not be present on the court on Saturday, as he is still nursing a right thumb injury. When Williams was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, the pick that Cleveland received in exchange for the current Jazz point guard ended up becoming Kyrie Irving. Instead of matching up against the former Cavalier, Irving will be hounding Jamaal Tinsley all night on both ends of the floor. After an enticing matchup with Damian Lillard the other night, it will be a change of pace for Irving, who could have his most impressive offensive effort of the season against the Jazz. While Zeller and Thompson will have their hands full all night, the green light will be on for Kyrie to takeover.

This is especially true because Dion Waiters may miss the game due to feeling under the weather. He’s a game-time decision and sat out during shoot around earlier on Saturday. That means that C.J. Miles will once again get the start at the two, and will also be returning to Utah for the first time since leaving the team in the summer. Miles has played on and off throughout this whole road trip, but he’s due for a finale of a performance. There would be no better way to do this than a Homecoming visit to his former stomping grounds. Miles is currently averaging 11.2 points, while shooting 38.3 percent from beyond the arc. It will be good to see the Cavaliers heading on their way back home, but bringing back a winning streak would be the cheery on top.