Recap: Cleveland 114, Memphis 107 (or, Jordan the Wolf)

The Cavs wanted this one more than the Grizzlies down the stretch, and it showed with a 60-46 rebound advantage. The Cavs gritted out a win despite a seven to 16 turnover deficit. How’d the Cavaliers overcome their excess of turnovers? By shooting a blistering 17-37 from three, getting to the line 23 times to Memphis’ four, and by feeding their “wolf,” Jordan Clarkson. JC scored 33 points on 17 shots and was +21 on the night. He was flying around pindowns and hitting top of the key triples like he was Kyle Korver, and was dusting whoever tried to cover him in isolation.

This game was a back and forth affair with 25 lead changes and 16 tie scores. In the First Quarter, it sure looked like John Beilein read Ben Werth’s From Distance, Friday, as Cedi Osman got a couple looks as the ball handler in the pick and roll, the lack of which Ben Werth had bemoaned. One led to a beautiful kickout to Garland for three. Tristan Thompson was active early with a couple putback buckets and sweet dimes, and finished the period with 8/7/2, but was matched by Big V’s six points around the bucket. TT didn’t sub out till there were 31 seconds left in the period.

Unfortunately, Collin Sexton started hijacking the offense for some truly abysmal possessions, like a two point heave early in the shot clock that I’m pretty sure Tristan wanted to deck him for. Chucky Sexton played 7.5 minutes and stunk up the arena: 1-5 with two turnovers (“hooking” offensive fouls) and one rebound. At least one of the offensive foul calls was sketchy, but Collin seemed to let his frustration get the better of him and turned bad plays into worse “make-up” plays, maybe taking his match-up with rookie sensation, Ja Morant,a bit too seriously.

Morant didn’t score in the quarter, but probably had the highlight of the game when he tried to end Kevin Love’s reputation with an all time dunk attempt.

Almost "Poster Of The Century" per Ja Morant 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/YEkTImuk8y

— Basketball-Evolution (@bball_evo) December 21, 2019

“The kid jumped over me. Can you do a medical retire and still get all your money?”

Kevin Love didn’t think Ja Morant would take off from where he did. He was wrong!pic.twitter.com/2b5tMtbSa9

— Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) December 21, 2019

After Sexton’s second offensive foul, Beilein called a timeout and yanked him for a fun lineup of TT, Kev, KPJ, JC, and Delly. That lineup ran off a quick 6-0 run when JC cut baseline for And1 and Kev ripped a threeball – both off of sweet Delly dimes. The ball movement continued after a rage timeout from Taylor Jenkins, and TT got himself a couple layups from nifty feeds by Delly and Nance. Delly’s magic waned as he clanked a triple and turned it over, but Clarkson got himself going with a floater before he misplayed the clock to end the quarter. Surprisingly competent Solomon Hill ended the frame with a 21-footer to put Memphis up 27-25, mostly fueled by Cleveland’s six turnovers to the Grizzlies’ one.

The Second Quarter saw Jordan Clarkson and Porter Jr. going off. KPJ started it off with a threeball jumper and then a two-hand thumper between De’Anthony Melton triples, and then JC used a Henson hand-off screen to can a triple through a foul for a four-point-play. He’d go on to finish the period a perfect 5-5 from the field and 4-4 from the line for 15 points. Meanwhile, John Henson started a block party with three in the period and was becoming a wall around the rim, while Delly was dealing dimes to the bench mob. Things got hoppin’ when Cedi canned a couple of triples around a pretty Clarkson layup from Dellavedova for a a quick 8-0 Cleveland run. The Cavs went cold over the final three minutes while Jae Crowder put up in a dunk and a reverse to finish the quarter with the Cavs up 55-51. You’ll notice you didn’t see Collin Sexton’s name because Coach B. had him riding the pine all quarter.

The Third Quarter was a mess for Cleveland and it looked like Memphis might ride the momentum of 36 point outburst to win the game. It started out with Morant getting on the board and Jaren Jackson Jr. and Dillon Brooks drilling threes for a Grizz 8-0 run. Clearly, the Grizzlies had seen something on film about the Cavs’ forwards not chasing them out to the three point line. JJax and Brooks combined to go 6-10 from downtown in the period for 11 and nine points.

Fortunately, K-Love can shoot too, and after a Beilein confab, Cleveland authored their own 8-0 run with Kev canning a three and then pulling the old banana-in-the-tailpipe to get to the line for three freebies. Osman (seven in the frame) and Garland got it going while the Grizz answered with triples. Meanwhile, something amazing was happening. Collin Sexton didn’t attempt a shot for five game minutes. Unfortunately, the Cavs went cold after Kev put them up a deuce, 78-76, and Jarren Jackson Jr. and Co. went on a 10-3 run over the last three minutes to close the period 87-81, Grizz.

The Grizzlies had the momentum to start the Fourth Quarter, but with both teams throwing bricks at each other and Grayson Allen getting t-ed up for being a douche, something seemed to light a spark for Cleveland. It wasn’t apparent immediately, because Kevin Porter Jr. picked up a flagrant for a reckless closeout on a Grayson left corner three, to give the Ted Cruz clone a four-point-play. It put Memphis up 12 before Jordan Clarkson decided You Only Live Once, and John Henson decided Memphis was getting nothing inside, blocking three shots in 90 seconds. The pair led Cleveland to a 10-0 run.

Solomon Hill continued his resurgence with five quick points while Clarkson and Henson started running a beautiful two man game as the teams traded baskets. Sexton got in on the pick and roll action with a dime and a bucket off action with Henson to cut the Grizzlies lead to five before the Cavs brought the starters back, with Clarkson in for Garland (who returned two minutes later for Osman).

Crunch Time kicked off with a Cavalier 8-0 run, and Kevin Love was locked in as he nailed a clutch three to give Cleveland a three point lead with three minutes left. After Sexton, Garland, and Clarkson all missed, Love hit another triple to take the lead again after JJax and Morant had gotten it back. Sexton was the unlikely hero after a deflection of a Morant pass went his way and he grabbed it. Jae Crowder just got Collin with a foul as he was trying to sprint away with the steal, and frankly, it should have been a clear path, but the refs didn’t want to give the Cavs the game. Sexton split the pair, Jackson missed a three, and then Collin rebounded a Clarkson iso-trey miss to force a Grizzlies foul with 12 seconds left. Collin iced the pair to put Cleveland up five, and Garland gave Cleveland two more for insurance, 10 seconds later.

The Good:

“You’re sendin the Wolf? …that’s all you need to say.” And what can you say about Jordan Clarkson. Against a bad defensive backcourt, JC destroyed everyone. He’s able to score as a dribbler or as a play finisher behind the arc and at the rim. His gravity drives the entire bench. Clarkson was sensational offensively, and Delly found him early and often. Sexton wasn’t too bad defensively either with a block, but just completely took advantage of everyone on Memphis who was trying to cover him. He was the Cavs’ best player Friday, and like Winston Wolf, if he was curt, it was because time was a factor.

Kevin Love finished with 21/13/1 on 5-11 from deep. He was gritty on the d-boards with 13 only had two turnovers. He got the boards and got the Cavs into their offense quickly with smart outlets. He was also fearless from deep, and Delly, Cedi, and even Garland were hitting him on the pick-and-pop.

Cedi (13/2/2), Thompson (10/15/3), Garland (14/5/2), Nance, Porter Jr, Delly (8 dimes!) and Henson (7 blocks!) all had very nice games too. Only Collin Sexton really struggled for Cleveland.

The Grizz were led by Jaren Jackson Jr., whose 24/3/2 night paced scoring for Memphis. He and Dillon Brooks (16 points on 15 shots) were the beneficiaries of the Cavs’ game plan: sag on the forwards, dare them to shoot, and live with the results. Live they did (especially with Crowder’s suckitude from deep). Honestly, I thought Memphis should’ve gotten the ball to Valanciunas more: 14/14/2 w/ four blocks.

Ja Morant is going to be just fine. He struggled from the field (4-11), but still added 11 dimes and  five boards, and like we noted above, that dunk attempt. The kid can get just about anywhere he wants and has all the passes.

The Bad

The ghosts of Christmas past came back to haunt Jae Crowder who seemed to always struggle in Cleveland. He channeled his 2017-2018 self, bricking his way to 0-6 from downtown. My guy Brandon Clarke didn’t do too much with a 6/3/1 line, but he didn’t hurt the Grizz too bad either. He was a game low -9, but I didn’t see any massive deficiencies.

Collin Sexton had a terrible first quarter and didn’t see the floor for the rest of the first half. He was a team low -4, and went 2-12, but had some big plays down the stretch, and didn’t mope despite not seeing the floor in the second quarter. Good on Beilein for actually cutting his minutes for playing like a dope.

The Ugly

The Cavs won despite committing nine more turnovers, and losing the assist battle 31-26. Some of that was due to getting to the line, but as good as the Cavs’ passing was at times, it still needs to get better. Most of the Cavs’ turnovers were due to bad passes, and part of that is just learning to pass more, which I guess you have to live with. See you Monday, Cavs fans.