CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers snapped out of a first-half funk and halted a three-game losing streak with a much-needed 110-98 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
The Cavs had lost eight of their previous 11 games, putting them in backs-against-the-wall mode with the NBA playoffs around the corner.
The Cavs were second in the Eastern Conference standings during the NBA All-Star break in mid-February and third just two weeks ago. They entered Wednesday's game in fifth place, on a three-game skid and fighting to avoid the Play-In Tournament designated for teams finishing the regular season in seventh through 10th place.
All of this meant the Cavs (47-33) were in desperate need of a win against the undermanned Grizzlies (27-53).
Now the Cavs are in fourth place.
The most glaring reason for their recent slide is the health of All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell , who has logged just 10 games since the All-Star break and is dealing with a left knee issue while recovering from a nasal fracture causing him to play with a mask in recent games.
However, Mitchell shed the mask and made some positive strides against Grizzlies , finishing with a team-high 29 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field (5 of 10 on 3-pointers).
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Center Jarrett Allen and point guard Darius Garland added 16 points apiece. Allen also had 10 rebounds, and Garland tallied nine assists. Joining Allen with a double-double was forward Evan Mobley (12 points and 12 rebounds). Sixth man Caris LeVert had 18 points.
Grizzlies forward Jake LaRavia scored a career-high and game-high 32 points, but the Cavs improved to 14-0 this season when limiting teams to less than 100 points.
Tipoff occurred shortly after 7 p.m. Here are our updates as they unfolded throughout the game.
Below is some information about the fourth quarter.
LaRavia reached 26 points by making a layup with 10:36 remaining.
The Cavs countered, though. Forward Georges Niang and LeVert each made a 3-pointer on back-to-back possessions, and Cleveland seized control with an 86-69 cushion with 10:09 remaining.
Below is some information about the third quarter.
The Cavs woke up and outscored the Grizzlies 30-16 in the third quarter to earn a 78-67 advantage entering the fourth quarter.
Can the Cavs close this game the right way?
After scoring just two points in the first half, Allen provided a crucial spark in the third quarter. His three-point play with 5:09 left and Mitchell's 3-pointer with 4:39 remaining allowed the Cavs to go ahead 65-59.
At this checkpoint, Allen had 11 points, including nine in the third quarter. He also had 10 rebounds, giving him his 41st double-double this season.
The Cavs trailed 58-57 with 6:36 left in the third quarter after Allen made a dunk off an assist from Garland. The Cavs' bench received a technical foul, though. It was called on Marcus Morris Sr . The Grizzlies made the ensuing free throw to go ahead 59-57.
Below is some information about the second quarter.
Do the Cavs realize they ought to play with a sense of urgency? They sleepwalked through most of the second quarter, making just two field goals (both by forward Max Strus ) through the first seven minutes of the quarter.
It's a recipe for disaster, even against a shorthanded opponent with a poor record like the Grizzlies.
The Cavs trailed 51-48 at halftime.
LaRavia had a game-high 21 points through the first two quarters on 7-of-12 shooting from the field (6 of 6 on 3-pointers). Two of his 3-pointers were made with 1:22 and 7 seconds left in the half. Instead of firing back after the first one, Cavs committed a turnover via a shot-clock violation with 55.5 seconds left.
Mitchell led the Cavs with 19 points in the first half on 6-of-10 shooting (3 of 5 on 3-pointers).
The Cavs were sloppy on both ends of the floor through roughly the first half of the second quarter and fell behind 37-35 during a timeout with 6:27 left in the first half.
At this checkpoint, the Cavs had made just one of their 10 second-quarter shots from the field. They were fortunate the Grizzlies started the second quarter 3-of-11 shooting from the floor.
Below is some information about the first quarter.
Well, the opening quarter was bizarre.
The Cavs answered a seven-point deficit created by a Grizzlies rally by ending the first quarter with a 14-4 Cleveland run.
Mitchell produced a three-point play with 3.2 seconds left, allowing the Cavs to lead 32-29 at the end of the first quarter. He had 13 points in the quarter.
After falling behind by six points, the Grizzlies came out of a timeout and dominated the Cavs during a 13-0 run. The stretch resulted in the Cavs trailing 25-18 during a timeout with 4:37 left in the first quarter.
LaRavia fueled the Memphis rally with three 3-pointers and a dunk. He led all scorers in the first quarter with 14 points.
It's hard to explain what happened to the Cavs' defense other than to say it vanished.
This is a positive development for the Cavs: Mitchell looked good out of the gate. He made his first three shots, including two 3-pointers.
Mobley also started the game 2-of-2 shooting from 3-point range, and the Cavs led 18-12 during at timeout with 7:03 left in the opening quarter.
Below is some pregame information.
With two regular-season games left, the Cavs are a game ahead of the fifth-place Orlando Magic (46-34). The Magic fell 117-99 to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.
The Cavs are also a game ahead of the sixth-place Indiana Pacers (46-34), two games ahead of the seventh-place Philadelphia 76ers (45-35) and three games ahead of the eighth-place Miami Heat (44-36). The Heat lost 111-92 to the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.
The top six teams will secure a playoff berth without competing in the Play-In Tournament.
The Cavs will end the regular season at home against the Pacers on Friday and Charlotte Hornets (19-60) on Sunday. The Cavs need one win or a Sixers loss to clinch a playoff berth.
The playoffs will begin April 20, but if they were to start Thursday, the fourth-seeded Cavs would face the fifth-seeded Magic in the first round.
The Play-In Tournament will run from April 16-19.
The Cavs listed guard Sam Merrill (neck strain) as doubtful to play Wednesday and ruled out forward Dean Wade (sprained knee) and point guard Ty Jerome (ankle). Merrill was inactive against the Grizzlies.
The Grizzlies ruled out a staggering amount of players — 12. They listed former Cavs forward Lamar Stevens (groin) and LaRavia (ankle) as questionable, but Stevens and LaRavia played. In fact, LaRavia had the most productive game of his NBA career.
On Feb. 1, the visiting Cavs defeated the Grizzlies 108-101 in the only previous meeting between the two teams this season.
The Cavs are now 34-21 in their all-time series against the Grizzlies. Cleveland is 21-6 at home.
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The game was televised locally on Bally Sports Ohio. It was broadcast on the radio via WTAM (1100-AM), WMMS (100.7-FM) and WNZN (89.1-FM).
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Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavaliers end 3-game losing streak vs Grizzlies as playoffs near
