KeyBank Keys to the Game: Cavs vs Grizzlies

The Cavaliers wrap up their three-game homestand on Thursday night, welcoming the Southwest Division-leading Grizzlies to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse for a nationally-televised affair.

The Wine and Gold are coming off a tough loss on Tuesday night, dropping a home heartbreaker to the Heat. Cleveland played a solid all-around game – shooting 48 percent from the floor, handing out 32 assists and committing just 13 miscues. They also held the Heat scoreless through the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, but couldn’t take advantage – as Miami rallied past the Cavs over the final three minutes, with a pair of Jimmy Butler free throws and two offensive boards by Bam Adebayo sealing the deal late. 

After wrapping up an 11-game win streak with a win over the Cavaliers two weeks ago, the Grizzlies (32-19) have hit a rough patch – dropping six of their last seven, including a double-digit loss last night to Portland. Damian Lillard went off for 42 points and the Blazers outscored Memphis, 38-22, in the final period to pull away for the win. 

The Cavaliers would love to avenge that loss last month in Memphis, with Steven Adams tipping in the game-winner with 16 seconds to play. That defeat was the fourth straight suffered at the hands of the Grizzlies, who’ve taken five of the last six in the series.

If Ja Morant is able to play in the second half of the Grizzlies’ back-to-back, Thursday’s backcourt battle should be a great one. 

Morant has fully entrenched himself into the MVP conversation in his fourth year out of Murray State – equaling his scoring average (27.4ppg) from a season ago, piling up 16 games of at least 30 points and a 49-point effort in a win over Houston. Morant comes into tonight’s game having scored at least 22 points in 14 straight contests – including a 24-point, eight-assist effort against Cleveland last month in Memphis. 

But Morant is only part of the Grizzlies’ dynamic duo on the backcourt – joining Desmond Bane, who returned from a two-game absence to tally 17 points in last night’s loss to the Blazers. The rugged sharpshooter from TCU is averaging 21.4ppg in his third year, topping the 20-point mark in six of his last eight outings, including a 25-point night in Memphis’ last meeting against the Cavs. 

Donovan Mitchell, who missed last month’s meeting in Memphis, has been battling through a groin injury for most of this month and has topped the 20-point mark just once over his past five outings. On Tuesday night, the All-Star guard notched 16 points, but struggled from the field – going 6-for-17 from the floor, including 3-of-13 from long-range, adding a game-high nine assists and four steals.

Darius Garland led the Cavs in scoring and both teams in assists the last time these two squads faced off – notching 24 points and handing out 14 helpers in the loss. Over his past 14 games, the 4^th-year man has been rock-solid – averaging 22.6 points on 46 percent shooting, handing out 8.8 assists per over that stretch.

With veteran big man Steven Adams – who led Memphis with 10 boards and scored the game-winning basket in the last meeting with Cleveland – on the shelf with a right knee injury for the next month, the Cavs will try to use their size advantage down low. 

Evan Mobley doubled-up with 18 points and a game-high 15 rebounds in last month’s meeting with the Grizz, going 9-for-15 from the floor with a pair of blocks. Since that game, Mobley has been on a defensive tear, blocking at least two shots in each of his past five outings, including Tuesday night against Miami – finishing with 19 points, seven boards and four assists. 

Jarrett Allen was also pretty good in the first meeting with Memphis – netting 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting, grabbing eight boards and swatting a pair of shots in the loss. The All-Star big man was especially good against the Grizzlies last year – averaging 23.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per while shooting 88 percent (22-of-25) from the floor. 

With Adams sidelined, the Grizzlies have turned to former Michigan State standout Xavier Tillman Sr., and he’s been pretty solid since having his minutes bumped up – averaging 6.2 points and 8.0 rebounds per on 59 percent shooting over his last five outings.