Michael WallaceGrind City

Those were the two words Grizzlies coach David Fizdale spewed when he was asked late Tuesday if he could take anything positive from his team’s effort after a 17-point loss in Cleveland. Fizdale then carried that same sour tone and frustrated demeanor into FedExForum on Wednesday for the second meeting in as many nights between the Grizzlies and Cavaliers.

“He got on us after (Tuesday’s) game, he got on us before (Wednesday’s) game and he got on us at halftime again,” Grizzlies’ veteran guard Tony Allen said. “Mentally, we had to prepare to come out and get the win, no matter who was out there. And we were able to take advantage of that.”

In doing so, the Grizzlies cruised past the shorthanded Cavaliers to extend their home winning streak to six games with Wednesday’s 93-85 victory at FedExForum. With LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving remaining back in Cleveland to rest or treat minor injuries, the Grizzlies built a double-digit lead in the first quarter and pulled ahead by as many as 25 points on the way to splitting the back-to-back set.

A day earlier in Cleveland, the Grizzlies rested Western Conference player of the week Marc Gasol and Fizdale watched his offense sputter through a disjointed first half that allowed James and the Cavaliers to establish a double-digit cushion that was enough to hold off Memphis’ second-half push. But the combination of Gasol’s return to the lineup and the Cavaliers missing a trio of stars who combine to average more than 70 points, 20 rebounds and 15 assists was enough to keep Memphis on track.

Gasol had 17 points, 11 rebounds and three assists, and the Grizzlies also got a team-high 20 points off the bench from Troy Daniels on a night Memphis overcame 18 turnovers by shooting 52.2 percent from three-point range. Benefitting from the absences of James, Love and Irving, the Grizzlies (18-9) have strung together consecutive home wins over Golden State and Cleveland, although Saturday’s 21-point blowout of the Warriors came with Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green on the court.

“It just feels good to win,” Gasol said. “It sucked for me not to play (Tuesday). I don’t like it one bit. But I understand it’s what’s best for me and best for the team. Obviously, (Cleveland) was without three dominant players. But I needed a win. Whoever plays in front of you is going to try to win. And I want to win. So I didn’t care who was out there.”

Perhaps the Grizzlies got a bit too comfortable after building the early double-digit lead. Their offense was derailed early in the third quarter, when the Cavaliers rallied to get to within two points. But Memphis quickly pulled away midway through the third and finished the quarter on a 22-5 run that included crucial three-pointers from Daniels and Vince Carter and disruptive defense from Jarell Martin and Allen, who continued his aggressive two-way play by scoring eight of his 16 points in the period.

“We didn’t give enough effort (Tuesday),” Daniels said. “We didn’t want to make that mistake again.”

The effort Fizdale demanded was delivered from the outset of Wednesday’s game. The play that best encapsulated the Grizzlies’ mindset came at the 7:05 mark of the first quarter, when JaMychal Green rose high above everyone else in the paint for a putback slam off Allen’s missed jumper. That play gave the Grizzlies a 11-9 lead and they never looked back.

Marc Gasol. Gasol acknowledged after Wednesday’s game that he’s reluctantly buying into the team’s minutes’ management program designed to monitor the workload coming off season-ending foot surgery last February. Big Spain is in the midst of the most productive offensive stretch of his career, but he wasn’t happy about having to skip Tuesday’s game in Cleveland. Gasol said he went through a workout at FedExForum Tuesday afternoon and then spent the night watching his team’s loss on television while drinking a couple of glasses of red wine to ease the frustration. On Wednesday, he had all facets of his game working after a night off. He shot 6-for-9 from the field and made all three of his three-pointers.

“When I found out, I was already packed and they told me I wasn’t traveling,” Gasol said of being told he wouldn’t make the trip to Cleveland for Tuesday’s game. “I made a pact that I would listen to the training staff and all this sports science stuff. So you bite your tongue and (say), ‘Yes sir,’ and have a glass a wine and try to sleep a little bit. Obviously, you have to buy into it. I don’t like to rest, but you have a lot of guys spending a lot of time looking at a lot of data. So you’ve got to trust them.”

The Grizzlies are gradually getting healthy, with the exception of rookie center Deyonta Davis, who injured his foot in Tuesday’s loss and the extent of the plantar fascia-related setback continues to be evaluated. But Mike Conley (back), Chandler Parsons (knee), Brandan Wright (ankle) and James Ennis (calf) are progressing through the respective stages of their recovery. An update from the team is expected soon regarding the players’ respective status moving forward. But the downside is the hardship exemption the NBA granted the Grizzlies to carry Toney Douglas on a 16th roster spot expired after Wednesday’s win over Cleveland. Douglas made the most of his 10 days with Memphis, and had 14 points, six rebounds and five assists in 29 minutes off the bench. He emerged as the point guard Fizdale trusted the most in key stretches of close games. Douglas said he still plans to show up for treatment and a workout at the Grizzlies’ practice facility on Thursday with hopes of staying with the team.

“I’m sick to my stomach, because Toney Douglas has been unbelievable for us,” Fizdale said of the possibility of losing Douglas as the exemption expires. “He helped us win every game he’s played.”

For the second consecutive night, Carter played nearly 19 minutes off the bench as he continues to work his way back into the mix after missing two weeks with a hip injury. Carter had six points on a pair of threes and also finished with five rebounds and two assists with a second unit that allowed the Grizzlies to pull away in the third quarter. Carter’s plus-minus rating was a team-high plus-21. The 19-year veteran is sharing minutes with starting small forward Troy Williams, who also played 19 minutes.

Grizzlies bounce back with win over Cavs, 93-85

Grizzlies vs. Sacramento Kings at FedExForum, 7:00 pm (TV: TV: Grizzlies Live! Pregame Show FOX Sports Southeast 6:30 p.m./Radio: Grizzlies Pregame Show 92.9 FM ESPN, 6:30 p.m.)

The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Memphis Grizzlies. All opinions expressed by Michael Wallace are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Memphis Grizzlies or its Basketball Operations staff, owners, parent companies, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Memphis Grizzlies and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.

wallace-view-grizzlies-93-cavaliers-85

Wallace View – Grizzlies 93, Cavaliers 85

none

<a href="https://fedexforum.com/arena-policy-updates" target="_blank">CLEAR BAGS ONLY: FEDEXFORUM NOW REQUIRES CLEAR BAGS FOR ALL GAMES &amp; EVENTS!</a>