Cleveland • Mo Williams nearly won it for the Jazz in a building he had plenty of experience winning games.
But in his first game back following thumb surgery, the Jazz point guard's layup with 5 seconds left rattled out of the basket and the Cavaliers escaped with a 104-101 victory.
The Jazz led by as many as 14 in the third quarter, but thanks in part to a pair of 3-pointers by former Jazz swingman C.J. Miles, the Cavaliers climbed back and took a 102-101 lead on a dunk by Wayne Ellington.
The Jazz had led 101-95 after Gordon Hayward made a pair of free throws, but the Cavs closed the game on a 12-1 run.
The loss spoiled a terrific game from Hayward, who led all scorers with 25 points and added 7 assists.
Hayward scored 15 of his points in the second quarter.
The Jazz played their third game without Al Jefferson, who remains sidelined with a sprained left ankle.
Mo Williams started in place of Marvin Williams, who was moved to the bench after a horrid stretch, which included a scoreless effort in Monday's overtime loss in Milwaukee.
boram@sltrib.com
Twitter: @tribjazz