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Wrap-Up -- The Cavaliers and Grizzlies came into Saturday night’s game going in two completely different directions. LeBron James made sure that both squads continued along that path.
James scored 15 of his 34 points – including all of the Cavaliers’ final 13 – as the Wine & Gold held on for their 11th consecutive victory, handing Memphis its 11th straight loss in a 116-111 decision at The Q.
After leading by as many as 19 points in the third quarter, the Cavaliers got a little lackadaisical in the fourth, allowing the Grizzlies to claw back into the game – tying the affair at 109-apiece on Dillon Brooks’ triple.
But the Eastern Conference’s current Player of the Month took over from there – scoring on a pair of layups and slamming the door with a step-back 23-footer with 5.3 to play.
In registering his 10th 30-point game of the season, James went 13-for-22 from the floor and 8-for-8 from the stripe, adding a team-high 12 assists, a pair of boards and a blocked shot.
Kevin Love notched his 15th double-double of the season and fifth straight against the Grizzlies – finishing with 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting, including 3-for-4 from long-range, adding 11 boards and a pair of assists.
J.R. Smith notched double-figures for the fourth time in his last five outings – tallying 17 points in the win, going 6-of-8 from the floor, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc, adding five boards, two assists and a team-best three steals.
Dwyane Wade continued his stellar run off the bench – chipping in with 16 points, going 6-of-9 from the floor and 4-of-5 from the stripe, adding four helpers and a pair of blocks.
Overall, the Cavs bench combined for another 40-point effort – with Cleveland getting nine points apiece from Jeff Green and Kyle Korver, with Green snagging three steals and Korver tying a career-high with four blocked shots.
For the most part, the Grizzlies didn’t look like a team that had just fired their coach and were riding a 10-game skein – handing out 31 assists on 43 makes, holding Cleveland to a single offensive rebound and shooting 57 percent from long-range.
LBJ tallies 34 points in 116-111 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night in Cleveland.
But the Cavaliers made 23 trips to the stripe – canning 21 free throws – beating up Memphis in the paint, 54-38, and committed just 11 turnovers on the night.
Turning Point -- If things had gone as planned, the game’s turning point should have been the end of the second quarter – when Cleveland closed the first half on a 15-5 run to give themselves a two-touchdown lead heading into the second stanza.
But Memphis had other plans in the final period – going on a 13-2 run that turned an 11-point edge midway through the fourth into a tie ballgame with just over two minutes to play.
Luckily, the Wine & Gold have the ultimate weapon at their disposal – and the four-time MVP simply willed the Cavaliers to their 11th straight win down the stretch.
By the Numbers – 15 … games this season that Cleveland’s second unit has combined for at least 40 points. Currently, the Cavaliers bench averages 40.5 points per, good for 5th-best in the NBA. Individually, Dwyane Wade has notched double-figure scoring in six straight games off the bench.
Quotable – LeBron James, on his big fourth-quarter performance on Saturday …
”. I’ve been in a lot of big games – regular season, postseason and The Finals, where you have to come through for your teammates. I just try to be as clutch as possible late in the game. Tonight was another one of those opportunities for me, and I was able to come through for my team. It’s an honor for me to be able to even have 14 guys look at me personally like, ‘Ok. It’s your time.’ I just try to make the right reads and make the right decisions to help us win.”
Up Next -- The Cavaliers, who finished the month of November with a 7-1 mark away from The Q, get right back on the road following Saturday night’s win over the Grizzlies – traveling to the Windy City for a Monday night matchup with the Bulls. On Wednesday, it’s back home for another Western Conference matchup when the Kings come to town, followed by a weekend back-to-back – traveling to Indy for a Friday night meeting with the Pacers followed by a showdown with Joel Embiid and the Sixers next Saturday at The Q.