The stage was set for a thrilling showdown on Sunday night, and the league-leading Cleveland Cavaliers and Memphis Grizzlies delivered, engaging in a back-and-forth battle that ultimately saw the Cavaliers emerge victorious, 129-123.
The Cavaliers dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Grizzlies 57-37, including a staggering 22 offensive rebounds. This significant advantage led to 31 second-chance points, with 12 of those coming in the pivotal fourth quarter. To date, Cleveland has only lost four games at home this season.
The game saw 11 lead changes and was tied up eight times, highlighting the intense competitive nature of the matchup.
Grizzlies Coach Taylor Jenkins said that the team’s inability to limit Cleveland’s 22 offensive rebounds was a crucial factor in the loss. He noted that while Jarrett Allen had a few, it was a collective effort by the Cavaliers’ guards that hurt them. Jenkins added that he was proud of his team’s overall performance, acknowledging that they played exceptionally well in many areas against a top-ranked opponent: “Going against one of the best teams, if not the best team, in the league, and have that offensive performance. We scored 123 against the elite defense that they are.”
“You can’t give a team 31 freebies, second-chance points,” Jenkins continued. “We just didn’t have it, and that’s gonna be something we absolutely have to address. We have to own even more, because that can’t be an Achilles heel thing for us if we want to get where we want to get to.”
Jaren Jackson Jr. kept the Grizzlies in contention, pouring in a team-high 22 points in just 25 minutes of action. Foul trouble may have limited his playing time, but it couldn’t contain his fourth quarter dominance as evidenced by his 12-point outburst. Jackson Jr. also had four assists, three rebounds, two steals, and a blocked shot.
Ja Morant turned in a strong performance, contributing 21 points and 10 assists, although ultimately his team fell short, dropping to a 37-20 record.
On the season, Morant is averaging 20.5 points, 7.4 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game.
Luke Kennard made the most of his limited court time off the bench, delivering a productive 24-minute outing in which he scored 19 points on impressive 6-of-8 shooting from the field and 3-of-5 from three-point range.
“I think the biggest thing for us was physicality, giving up a lot of offensive rebounds,” said Kennard after the game. “When you give up that many offensive rebounds to a really good team, they’ll make you pay for it. So we know that was the game for us. But yeah, we battled. We fought to the very end, and we gave ourselves a chance, just missed a couple shots, but we could definitely learn a lot from this.”
Up Next
The Grizzlies are set to kick off a crucial five-game homestand, with their first challenge coming against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, February 25, at 7:00 pm CT. Memphis is 21-6 on its home floor.
