Key Stat of the Night
- Memphis made 36-of-72 (.500) shots from the floor while holding Cleveland to 33-of-93 (.355).
- This was the Grizzlies’ first wire-to-wire win this season, and the first since March 17, 2018 against Denver.
Key Run of the Night
- Memphis opened the game with a 13-1 run from 11:38 to 4:26 (7:12 run) in the first quarter, with Cleveland missing their first 11 shots of the game, to spark the wire-to-wire victory.
Game Recap
For the first time this season, the Memphis Grizzlies led the entire game to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 95-87 on Wednesday night in FedExForum. The Grizzlies improved to 18-16 on the season and are now 10-6 at home. The Cavaliers dropped to 8-27 on the year.
Marc Gasol finished just shy of a double-double, scoring 20 points and collecting nine rebounds to go with six assists. Kyle Anderson shot 5-of-6 from the floor to score 15 points while registering three steals and two blocks. Mike Conley also ended with 15 points and handed out a game-high eight assists. Garrett Temple and Jaren Jackson Jr. both added 11 points. It’s the third time in the last four games that all five starters have scored in double-digits after it not occurring in the first 30 games of the season.
The Grizzlies shot a sizzling 36-for-72 (.500) from the field despite going just 5-for-22 (.227) from three-point range. The Cavaliers finished shooting 33-for-93 (.355) overall and 9-for-29 (.310) from three. Cleveland outrebounded Memphis 53-34 (19-3 offensive rebounds) which led to 19 second chance points compared to only five for Memphis. The Grizzlies scored 24 points off of 17 Cavaliers turnovers, while allowing 12 points off of 13 giveaways. Memphis blocked 10 shots in the game, the fifth time this year they’ve recorded double-digit rejections.
Jordan Clarkson led all scorers with 24 points, marking the 15th time he’s led Cleveland in scoring this year (leads team). Collin Sexton finished with 16 points and six assists. Cedi Osman added 10 points and seven boards. Ante Zizic pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds.
In the fourth quarter, Cleveland went on a 9-2 run from 4:53 to 3:20 (1:33 run) to close the gap to 82-75, and then a layup by Osman narrowed the Grizzlies’ lead to 86-82 with 1:19 remaining. Conley thwarted the comeback attempt after cutting through three defenders to make a layup, getting a steal on the other end, and then sinking a pair of free throws all within a span of 13 seconds to put Memphis up 90-82 with 46.1 seconds left in the game. The Cavaliers connected on 12-of-21 (.571) shots in the fourth, but Memphis made 14-of-17 (.824) free throws during the period to protect the lead.
The Cavaliers continued to clean the glass in the third quarter, outrebounding the Grizzlies 16-10 (6-0 offensive), but only shot 9-of-30 (.300) from the field while Memphis was 8-of-17 (.471). The Grizzlies blocked seven shots in the quarter, with three coming from Gasol, to maintain a 65-53 lead at the end of the third.
The Grizzlies had a hot first half by shooting 21-of-37 (.568) from the floor, while the Cavaliers were just 12-of-42 (.286), to lead 45-32 at halftime. Cleveland’s 32 points were the fewest in a half by an opponent this year. Both teams combined to shoot only 4-for-22 (.181) from three-point range. The Grizzlies forced 10 turnovers (15 points) during the half while committing eight of their own (nine Cavaliers points).
Memphis opened the game with a 13-1 run from 11:38 to 4:26 (7:12 run) in the first quarter, with Cleveland missing their first 11 shots of the game. The Grizzlies shot 10-of-19 (.526) from the floor in the quarter while the Cavaliers were just 3-of-21 (.143). Memphis used eight points off of seven Cleveland turnovers in the period to help lead 21-9. Both the Cavaliers’ nine points and field goal percentage (.143) were the fewest by an opponent in any quarter this season.
Cleveland shook off the slow start, beginning the second quarter with a 10-2 run 11:39 to 7:44 (3:55 span). The Cavaliers shot three times as better in the second period as they did in the first, going 9-for-21 (.429) from the field, but the Grizzlies also improved, going 11-for-18 (.611). Cleveland outrebounded Memphis 5-1 on the offensive glass in the quarter, but could only outscored the Grizzlies 6-3 on second chance points.
Next Game
The Grizzlies will host the Boston Celtics on Saturday, December 29 at 7:00 p.m. CT in FedExForum. Come out to the game, tune in to FOX Sports Southeast presented by Pinnacle Financial Partners or listen on 92.9 FM ESPN to follow the action.
Fans who want to support the Memphis Grizzlies and purchase 2018-19 Season Tickets or 10-Game Flex Packs can do so now by calling (901) 888-HOOP or going online to grizzlies.com/tickets. Single Game Tickets are also available for purchase at the FedExForum Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, ticketmaster.com, online at grizzlies.com/tickets or by calling 1-800-4NBA-TIX. For more information on the Grizzlies, ‘like’ Memphis Grizzlies on Facebook or follow on Twitter and Instagram (@memgrizz).
Team Quotes
Player Notes
- Marc Gasol finished just shy of a double-double, scoring 20 points and collecting nine rebounds to go with six assists. It’s the ninth time this year he’s led the team in scoring.
- Kyle Anderson shot 5-of-6 from the floor to score 15 points while registering three steals and two blocks.
- Mike Conley also ended with 15 points and handed out a game-high eight assists.
- Garrett Temple and Jaren Jackson Jr. both added 11 points.
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