3-7-16 vs Grizzlies

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Wrap-Up -- Monday night’s surprising loss to the Grizzlies can be attributed to several factors.

That the Cavaliers had game-planned for a different set of Grizzlies. That the squad overlooked a shorthanded Memphis team with a West Coast trip looming. Or maybe – with San Antonio and Golden State also absorbing upsets in the past 24 hours – that there’s just something in the air around the Association.

But the simplest and best explanation for Monday’s 106-103 defeat at The Q can be found near the bottom of the boxscore – the category that shows the Wine and Gold committing a season-high 25 turnovers, leading to 30 Grizzlies points.

That’s about the only way to explain how a Cavaliers team – missing Kyrie Irving – can crush a Grizzlies squad at full-strength by 30 points in their own gym and lose to the team Memphis fielded on Monday night – playing with Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, Zach Randolph, Matt Barnes and Chris Andersen.

On Saturday night, the Wine and Gold spotted Boston an 18-point lead before mounting a three-quarter comeback and eventually winning by 17. But on Monday, the Cavaliers spent three-and-a-half quarters catching the Grizzlies, only to sputter out after finally taking a one-point lead with 2:46 to play.

LeBron James led everyone with 28 points – going 11-for-19 from the floor and 2-of-4 from long-distance – his final bomb coming with 3.0 seconds remaining in regulation that game the Cavaliers a chance to tie the game in the late going.

Following LeBron’s triple, the Cavaliers fouled Vince Carter, who drilled both free throws to extend Memphis’ lead to three, 106-103. But on Cleveland’s final possession Kyrie Irving’s three-point attempt at the buzzer drew back iron and the Cavaliers saw their win streak snapped at three.

Irving notched 14 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, going 9-for-16 from the floor overall – adding five assists and a team-high four steals. On the negative side of the ledger, Irving committed seven of Cleveland’s 25 miscues.

Kevin Love doubled-up for the 26th time this season – finishing with 14 points and 11 boards in the loss. Tristan Thompson was the only other Cavalier in double-figures, adding 11 points, six boards and a game-high three blocked shots.

For Memphis, Tony Allen – who missed the previous eight games with a knee injury – led the Grizzlies with 26 points, going 11-for-17 from the floor and adding a game-high five steals (one of three Memphis starters with at least four).

Lance Stevenson (17 points) and Vince Carter (15) were deadly off the bench for Memphis, while undrafted sophomore JaMychal Green filled in for starter Zach Randolph, finishing with 16 points and 10 boards.

The Cavaliers shot 45 percent from the floor; Memphis, 48 percent. Cleveland outrebounded the Grizzlies by 14, 49-35, and outscored them in the paint. But the turnover margin was critical for a Cavaliers team that’s gone 6-4 since the All-Star Break.

Turning Point -- It looked like the Cavaliers had awoken after three lethargic quarters when they ran off a quick 6-0 run to start the fourth. But three straight buckets by the Grizzlies put the Wine and Gold right back in a double-digit deficit.

But midway through the period, Kyrie Irving drilled a three-pointer, stripped Tony Allen and scored on a layup to cut Memphis’ 10-point lead in half. Seconds later, Kevin Love’s free throws got Cleveland to within one and, with 2:46 to play, Irving picked Lance Stephenson and scored on the other end to give the Cavaliers their first lead of the game, 98-97.

But after LeBron James missed a three-pointer that would’ve put Cleveland up two possession, JaMychal Green’s jumper gave Memphis the lead back. LeBron scored on the Cavs’ next possession, but Mario Chalmers gave the Grizzlies their final lead of the game, sinking a seven-foot runner to put Memphis up, 101-100.

By the Numbers – 26,406 … points that LeBron James has now scored during his NBA career, passing John Havlicek for 13th place on the NBA’s all-time list with his 18th point of the night. Dominique Wilkins is the next legend in James’ sights – perched at No. 12 with 26,668 points.

Quotable – LeBron James, on Cleveland committing 25 turnovers in Monday’s loss …

”We gave up a lot of pick sixes. In NFL terms, that means straight to the house. (We) have 25 turnovers for 30 points, I don’t care who you’re playing. My son’s little league team, you’re going to lose when you give up that many points off turnovers.”

Up Next – The Cavaliers embark on their final West Coast trip of the season when they depart for Sacramento on Tuesday afternoon. They’ll face off against the Kings on Wednesday night in California’s capital before heading to Los Angeles for a pair. On Thursday night, it’s the final time LeBron and Kobe Bryant will ever square off. On Sunday afternoon, it’s back to the Staples Center for a matinee matchup with the Clippers. On Monday night, Cleveland closes out its trip with a visit to Salt Lake City to face off against the Jazz.

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Cavs Can't Rally Past Shorthanded Grizzlies

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Postgame: Coach Lue – March 7, 2016

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Postgame: Kyrie Irving – March 7, 2016

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Postgame: LeBron James – March 7, 2016

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Listen to Radio Play-by-Play announcer John Michael's Call of the Game during the Cavs game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Quicken Loans Arena on March 7, 2016.

LeBron James thunders home the left-handed dunk passing Boston Celtic legend, John Havlicek, for 13th place on the NBA's All-Time Scoring list.

Escucha a la voz en español de los Cavaliers Rafa "El Alcalde" con la narración de la jugada del partido entre Los Cavaliers de Cleveland y Los Grizzlies de Memphis en El Quicken Loans Arena de Cleveland, OH el 7 de Marzo del 2016. Los Cavaliers perdieron en casa por solo la séptima vez en la temporada al caer frente a Los Grizzlies 106 - 103 en una noche en la que cometieron 25 errores de balón. La noche no fue del todo mal para Los Cavs que fueron liderados por LeBrin James con 28 puntos. Dos de ellos catapultaron al Rey al numero 13 en la historia de máximos anotadores en la historia de la NBA y pasadnole al gran John Havlicek.

Be sure to follow @ElalcaldeRafa on Twitter.

(On what went wrong tonight): “I just thought they were tougher than us tonight. They played hard and outscrapped us. You have to respect everybody in this league. Everyone gets a paycheck. That was the message before the game. We come out and turn over the ball 25 times. We give up 30 points on turnovers. They probably shot 60-something percent in the first quarter and a half. They just attacked us…Situations like this, when you’re playing a team that has a lot of players out, I’ve always learned a wounded animal is the most dangerous. (Memphis) came out and they competed. They played hard and they attacked us at every position.”

(On tonight’s game): “I was (concerned) especially because we had went over everything with the expectation that guys would be in the lineup this morning. We get here before the game and find out that no one, that we pretty much went over, is playing. But we’re professionals. You got to respect (the opponent). We are in this league for a reason. We didn’t respect them tonight and they beat us.”

(On the comeback in the fourth quarter): “It’s just part of being in the NBA. You try to execute down the stretch. They hit a few tough shots. They got it going especially in the fourth quarter, made it tough. Guys were playing extremely hard in that locker room but a lot of our mistakes caused us to lose tonight.”

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Sounds of the Game: Cavaliers vs. Grizzlies - March 7, 2016

LeBron Spinning to the Basket - March 7, 2016

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FreeD Highlight: Irving and LBJ Work the Pick-n-Roll - March 7, 2016

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FreeD Highlight: Interior Passing Leads to KLove Dunk - March 7, 2016

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3‑7‑16 vs Grizzlies