Key: Bear Trap
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On Friday night, the Cavaliers look to win their second straight for just the second time this season – taking on a Memphis Grizzlies squad they’ve dominated at home over the years and looking to build on the momentum of their wire-to-wire win on Wednesday night.
In Wednesday night’s win, the Cavaliers jumped out to a double-digit lead in the first quarter and upped their advantage to 24 points in the third quarter before Charlotte mounted a furious comeback behind Youngstown native Terry Rozier, whittling the lead to just two in the closing seconds. The Wine and Gold shot 54 percent from the floor, outrebounded Charlotte by 13 and held the Hornets to just seven fastbreak points on the night – improving to 6-5 against sub-.500 teams this season.
The Grizzlies come into Friday’s game with a 10-18 mark, but they’ve been much better of late – winning four of their last six. They’re coming off a loss on Wednesday night, however, blowing a 24-point lead of their own to the Thunder. Rookie Brandon Clarke scored 27 points off the bench, but Dennis Schroeder was even better, coming off the Thunder bench to notch 31.
The Cavs have won seven of its last 10 against Memphis – including an 18-4 all-time mark against the Grizz in Cleveland. The Wine & Gold have also won three straight over Memphis at home, including a five-point win late last February.
Key: Guard Duty
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Friday’s contest will be a showcase for some of the league’s most dynamic young guards.
For Memphis, Ja Morant – the second overall pick this past June – has been as good or better than advertised. He’s notched double-figures in every game but two this season, with a dozen 20-point performances so far – including his last two, doubling-up with 20 points and 10 assists in a recent win over the Heat. He’s averaging 6.5 assists per game, more than twice as many as his next-highest competitor (Darius Garland, 3.1).
Dillon Brooks, the 45th overall pick in 2017, is having a career season and currently third on the squad in scoring. The former Oregon star has six 20-point outings of his own and comes to town on a bit of heater – averaging 19.4ppg over his last five games.
The Cavaliers top pick this past June, Darius Garland, has handed out at least five assists in four straight games, the longest stretch for a Cleveland rookie since Donald Sloan back in April 2012. Garland finished with just seven points on Wednesday, but was very good the previous contest – netting 20 points against Toronto, going 7-of-14 from the floor, 4-of-8 from long-distance.
Collin Sexton has been even better – netting at least 20 points in three of his last four games, including a 23-point effort in Wednesday’s win over Charlotte, going 10-of-14 from the floor, the best shooting game of his career. The Young Bull also canned his first eight shot attempts – the first Cavalier to do so since Kyrie Irving in 2016.
Key: Double Trouble
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Jaren Jackson Jr. was outstanding in his abbreviated rookie season with Memphis and he’s been even better as a sophomore.
The lithe power forward from Michigan State has struggled with consistency, but when he’s good, he’s very good – evidenced in a recent loss to Milwaukee, going for 43 points on 14-for-21 shooting, including 9-of-15 from beyond the arc. Jackson got off to a slow start this season, but is averaging 21.4ppg over his last five – including a nine-point clunker while battling foul problems against the Thunder.
Memphis’ other big man, Jonas Valanciunas, has also been very good lately – averaging 22.5ppg on 76 percent shooting over his last two outings. Valanciunas will be playing in his 33rd career contest against the Cavs. He doubled-up with 25 points and 11 boards in his last matchup against Cleveland.
Tristan Thompson will once again lock horns with the man drafted one spot after him back in 2011. Thompson has been the heart and soul of the Cavaliers this season – piling up a team-best 14 double-doubles this year, including a 14-point, 13-rebound outing in Cleveland’s Wednesday night win over the Hornets.
Kevin Love – who’s tallied double-doubles in each of his last six games against Memphis – also doubled-up on Wednesday, netting 14 of his 16 points after intermission, adding a team-best 14 rebounds. In last year’s home win over the Grizz, Love finished with a season-high 32 points and 13 boards.