Quick Recap: Grizzlies’ road woes continued in Cleveland

Feb 3, 2023 - 3:59 AM

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The Memphis Grizzlies dropped the second end of a back-to-back on Thursday night to the Cleveland Cavaliers, 128-113. The loss is Memphis’ seventh in their last eight games. Desmond Bane led the Grizz with 25 on 6-7 shooting from deep, while Ja Morant chipped in 24 of his own with eight rebounds and eight assists.

Both of their efforts were overshadowed by a scrum that took place late in the third quarter between Dillon Brooks and Donovan Mitchell after Brooks hit Mitchell below the belt while on the ground. Mitchell then threw a ball at Brooks and shoved him. Both players were ejected for the flare up.

The Grizzlies kept things relatively close through the first, with Santi Aldama providing an offensive spark from the outside. Aldama would finish with a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 4-7 from the three-point line. However, the Cavs began to dominate the paint in the absence of both Jaren Jackson Jr and Steven Adams. The Cavs held a 20-point advantage in the paint for the game, outscoring the Grizz there 64-44.

The Cavs went on a 13-0 run late in the second quarter to turn a two-point Grizzlies lead into an 11-point Cavs lead. From there, the Grizzlies had to fight to stay in it. They were able to bring it back within one on a Xavier Tillman Sr make, but after the double ejection, all momentum seemed to slide the Cavs way. The Grizzlies were outscored 47-37 after the skirmish.

From there, it grew into a blowout, with the ‘Cavs lead growing as big as 22.

The Grizz are back in action Sunday as they face the Toronto Raptors at home. Tip is scheduled for 5 P.M. Central.

Quick Takeaways

• Santi and the Three

Santi Aldama proved that he can provide some real value as an outside shooter, but his paint presence, especially defensively, left something to be desired.

• Free Throw Shooting

The Grizz shot 21-22 from the line for the game, a major improvement over their last few games’ efforts from the charity stripe.

• Tough Night for Backup BackCourt

Tyus Jones and John Konchar played 52 combined minutes, but struggled to find offense, combining for just eight points.

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