Jazz’s Lauri Markkanen shares immediate reaction to Cavs upset

The Utah Jazz were coming off such an embarrassing defeat over the weekend — a 55-point loss to the Charlotte Hornets — but many people forget that they were without their best player in Lauri Markkanen, who’s been shuffled in and out of the lineup due to load management. On Monday, in a road game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Markkanen was back in the lineup, and the improvement was apparent, as the Jazz took a 123-112 victory to get back on the right track.

Markkanen may not be the kind of ball-dominant star one would think of as the prototypical leader of a team, but his gravity off the ball and his burgeoning connection with breakout star Keyonte George has been the Jazz’s lifeline all season long. The Jazz forward put up 28 points on 8-16 shooting from the field in his return to the lineup, and he credited the entire team for playing so well together.

“Just play together and play hard. … It’s a tough team and always tough to win on the road so a good win for us,” Markkanen told Jazz sideline reporter Lauren Green after the game. “It’s a constant progress [on defense]. We’ve shown we can do it. It’s just about doing it consistently. And tonight was a good night to show that we can do it again, and against a good team.”

“Just play together and play hard… It’s a tough team and always tough to win on the road so a good win for us.”

Drop 28, get the win at your old house and get the mic for the #WalkoffInterview (with a special guest)

All in a night's work for Finland's finest #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/gwA6oxiEZ3

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 13, 2026

Jazz just need to hit big on the draft

The Jazz are putting together a quality young core, with Markkanen leading the way and George, who put up a game-high 32 points, breaking out in his third season in the league. But there remain so many question marks around the rest of the roster.

Ace Bailey has been up and down in his rookie campaign. No one from the likes of Brice Sensabaugh, Cody Williams, Taylor Hendricks, and Kyle Filipowski have truly separated themselves as a long-term keeper. While time is on the Jazz’s side, hitting big on this year’s draft is paramount for their hopes of taking the next step in their rebuild.

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