Monday night’s surprising loss to the Grizzlies can be attributed to several factors.
That the Cavaliers had game-planned for a different set of Grizzlies. That the squad overlooked a shorthanded Memphis team with a West Coast trip looming. Or maybe – with San Antonio and Golden State also absorbing upsets in the past 24 hours – that there’s just something in the air around the Association.
But the simplest and best explanation for Monday’s 106-103 defeat at The Q can be found near the bottom of the boxscore – the category that shows the Wine and Gold committing a season-high 25 turnovers, leading to 30 Grizzlies points.
That’s about the only way to explain how a Cavaliers team – missing Kyrie Irving – can crush a Grizzlies squad at full-strength by 30 points in their own gym and lose to the team Memphis fielded on Monday night – playing with Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, Zach Randolph, Matt Barnes and Chris Andersen.
On Saturday night, the Wine and Gold spotted Boston an 18-point lead before mounting a three-quarter comeback and eventually winning by 17. But on Monday, the Cavaliers spent three-and-a-half quarters catching the Grizzlies, only to sputter out after finally taking a one-point lead with 2:46 to play.
LeBron James led everyone with 28 points – going 11-for-19 from the floor and 2-of-4 from long-distance – his final bomb coming with 3.0 seconds remaining in regulation that game the Cavaliers a chance to tie the game in the late going.
Following LeBron’s triple, the Cavaliers fouled Vince Carter, who drilled both free throws to extend Memphis’ lead to three, 106-103. But on Cleveland’s final possession Kyrie Irving’s three-point attempt at the buzzer drew back iron and the Cavaliers saw their win streak snapped at three.
Irving notched 14 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, going 9-for-16 from the floor overall – adding five assists and a team-high four steals. On the negative side of the ledger, Irving committed seven of Cleveland’s 25 miscues.
Kevin Love doubled-up for the 26th time this season – finishing with 14 points and 11 boards in the loss. Tristan Thompson was the only other Cavalier in double-figures, adding 11 points, six boards and a game-high three blocked shots.
For Memphis, Tony Allen – who missed the previous eight games with a knee injury – led the Grizzlies with 26 points, going 11-for-17 from the floor and adding a game-high five steals (one of three Memphis starters with at least four).
Lance Stevenson (17 points) and Vince Carter (15) were deadly off the bench for Memphis, while undrafted sophomore JaMychal Green filled in for starter Zach Randolph, finishing with 16 points and 10 boards.
LBJ makes history.
The Cavaliers shot 45 percent from the floor; Memphis, 48 percent. Cleveland outrebounded the Grizzlies by 14, 49-35, and outscored them in the paint. But the turnover margin was critical for a Cavaliers team that’s gone 6-4 since the All-Star Break.
Turning Point — It looked like the Cavaliers had awoken after three lethargic quarters when they ran off a quick 6-0 run to start the fourth. But three straight buckets by the Grizzlies put the Wine and Gold right back in a double-digit deficit.
But midway through the period, Kyrie Irving drilled a three-pointer, stripped Tony Allen and scored on a layup to cut Memphis’ 10-point lead in half. Seconds later, Kevin Love’s free throws got Cleveland to within one and, with 2:46 to play, Irving picked Lance Stephenson and scored on the other end to give the Cavaliers their first lead of the game, 98-97.
But after LeBron James missed a three-pointer that would’ve put Cleveland up two possession, JaMychal Green’s jumper gave Memphis the lead back. LeBron scored on the Cavs’ next possession, but Mario Chalmers gave the Grizzlies their final lead of the game, sinking a seven-foot runner to put Memphis up, 101-100.
By the Numbers – 26,406 … points that LeBron James has now scored during his NBA career, passing John Havlicek for 13th place on the NBA’s all-time list with his 18th point of the night. Dominique Wilkins is the next legend in James’ sights – perched at No. 12 with 26,668 points.
Quotable – LeBron James, on Cleveland committing 25 turnovers in Monday’s loss …
“We gave up a lot of pick sixes. In NFL terms, that means straight to the house. (We) have 25 turnovers for 30 points, I don’t care who you’re playing. My son’s little league team, you’re going to lose when you give up that many points off turnovers.”
Up Next – The Cavaliers embark on their final West Coast trip of the season when they depart for Sacramento on Tuesday afternoon. They’ll face off against the Kings on Wednesday night in California’s capital before heading to Los Angeles for a pair. On Thursday night, it’s the final time LeBron and Kobe Bryant will ever square off. On Sunday afternoon, it’s back to the Staples Center for a matinee matchup with the Clippers. On Monday night, Cleveland closes out its trip with a visit to Salt Lake City to face off against the Jazz.
