CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Memphis might be one of the biggest teams in the NBA, but the Cavs were the toughest Sunday night.
Donovan Mitchell scored 33, Evan Mobley had 25 points to go with 13 rebounds and Ty Jerome added 26 as the Cavs held off the Memphis Grizzlies 129-123 at Rocket Arena.
Here’s the top Wine & Gold nuggets from Sunday night.
Flexing muscle – Size didn't matter. Cleveland out-rebounded Memphis by 20, 57-37. “When you get 22 offensive rebounds, you're on it,” Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson said. “You're on your game physically and that's really tough against a team like this when that's it, it's their identity that we kind of turned that on them tonight and usually, and they were probably the more skilled team, they were better at the three point line and so we kind of switched identities tonight. But again, I'm happy. I think that was great playoff practice. We'll see games like this in the playoffs.” Cleveland pulled down 22 offensive rebounds, marking the second time this season they had at least 20 in a game. The first was January 22 at Houston.
Wrestling match – Mitchell and Grizzlies forward Desmond Bane got into it after Mitchell challenged Bane for a loose ball on the floor and called timeout with 7:28 left in the third quarter and the Cavs leading 74-71. “I mean, to be honest, as a group, we've been there before against that exact team,” Mitchell said. Bane tried to wrestle with Mitchell igniting the fracas in front of Cleveland’s bench. “I can't get thrown out,” Mitchell said. “I really don't remember what happened after once I put my hands up kind of black out in those moments. But I think I knew for myself it was just, I can't. [I’m] too valuable to get thrown out in that regard. So kind of just being like, look, this is, but at the end of the day, the ball's on the floor. I'm not letting it go. He's not letting it go. So it is what it is. It's nothing crazy.”
Tristan Thompson came on the floor as the teams had to be separated. After review Mitchell, Bane, Thompson and Ja Morant all received technical fouls. The NBA office will likely review the incident Monday.
Ty down the stretch – Ty Jerome scored 15 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter. “They were joking they're going to name a floater after him so you guys can start thinking about that,” Atkinson said. “[With] Darius out, we needed his ball handling. We needed his playmaking. He was phenomenal. Kind of took the game over there for a while and then made big plays down the stretch and a big defensive play where he had that big steal with the pull-up three man, the guy's playing unbelievable.” Jerome, who picked up three fouls in the first half but committed just one in the second, finished nine of 16 from the field. “I had to sit obviously most of the first half of those fouls,” Jerome said. “So disappointed in that and just trying to keep myself positive and make it up for the group in the second half and fourth quarter was, I guess I probably got most of my minutes in that fourth quarter. So that's really what it came down to.”
Threes company – Max Struss hit a three at the first half buzzer to give the Cavs a 62-56 lead at intermission. It was the first 3 made by a Cav not named Mitchell, who hit three of his first six attempts, as the team went 1-22 from deep in the first half. The Cavs made nine of 21 in the second half to finish 13 of 47 beyond the arc.
Garland update – Darius Garland did not play Sunday night due to a hip contusion suffered in Friday night’s win over the Knicks. “It's not going to be long term,” Atkinson said. “I think I'd anticipate him being ready very, very soon. I'm not going to guarantee next game, but I'd say trending that way.”
Starting 5 – Atkinson started Isaac Okoro, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Max Strus, and Jarrett Allen Sunday night.