Lackluster Cavaliers comeback not enough in 106-103 loss to Grizzlies
BY STONE LEXINGTON
CAVALIERS BEAT WRITER
Entering Monday night’s matchup with the shorthanded Memphis Grizzlies, Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue knew his team would have a challenge in front of them. The Grizzlies were without key players Mike Conley, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, while also missing four other players from their regular rotation. Lue, however, knew the contest with Memphis would be no walk in the park.
“It’s always dangerous because we tend to let our guard down,” Lue said just before tipoff. “We’ve done that a few times this year, and every time their stars and key guys sit out, we tend to take a step backwards and kind of relax a little bit.”
Lue’s fears came to fruition Monday night. After sleepwalking through three-plus quarters, the Cavs’ late fourth quarter surge wasn’t enough to slip past the Grizzlies as Memphis secured a 106-103 victory in Quicken Loans Arena.
“I just think, for us as a maturing young team, we just have to come out and play everybody the same way,” Irving said.
The Grizzlies (38-25) only had eight available players, but that didn’t stop them from jumping on the Cavs (44-18) early. Cleveland was dreadful in the first quarter, allowing Memphis to score 33 points on 62 percent shooting. The Cavs trailed 33-25 heading into the second quarter, where they were only slightly better defensively. Cleveland trailed the Grizzlies 58-49 at halftime, and barely cut into Memphis’ lead by the time the fourth quarter started.
“I just thought they were tougher than us tonight,” Lue said. “I they played harder and out-scrapped us. You have to respect everyone in this league — Everyone gets a paycheck.”
Looking to spark his team in the second half, Lue altered the Cavs’ lineup. The Cavs head coach started 6-foot-4 Matthew Dellavedova in place of 7-foot-1 Timofey Mozgov, opting to use a small lineup that has produced favorable results of late. Lue’s tactic didn’t initially work as Cleveland trailed 82-74 heading into the fourth quarter. The fourth quarter, however, was when the Cavs made their move.
Trailing 95-85 after a Lance Stephenson layup, Cavs point guard Kyrie Irving scored three straight buckets to bring Cleveland within a 95-92 deficit with 5:03 to play. When Cavs power forward Kevin Love sank two free throws, followed by an Irving steal and layup, Cleveland took its first lead of the game, 98-97 with 2:43 remaining. Trailing again with 1.8 seconds showing on the clock, Irving missed a game-tying three-point attempt, but the shot clanged off the rim as the final horn sounded.
“I know I’m going to replay it for the next few hours or so,” Irving said of his final shot. “Short-term memory in this league. I got a good shot, but a lot of our mistakes caused us to be in that position.
LeBron James led Cleveland with a game-high 28 points, nine rebounds and five assists. With his 18th point of the night, James passed John Havlicek (26,395) for 13th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Irving totaled 27 points, two rebounds and five assists. Irving has now scored at least 20 points in a season-high tying five straight games and in 14 of the last 18 outings.
Despite missing all of their stars, Memphis received significant contributions elsewhere. Tony Allen scored a season-high 26 points with two rebounds and four assists. Lance Stephenson and Mario Chalmers each added 17 points, JaMychal Green chipped-in 16 points with 10 rebounds and Vince Carter contributed 15 points. Memphis scored 30 of its points on 25 Cavs turnovers.
Six of the Cavs’ next seven games are on the road, starting in Sacramento for a matchup with the Kings on Wednesday. .
POSTED 03/07/2016 22:49
Lake County Sentinel
