MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Desmond Bane scored 25 points, Ja Morant had 24 and the Memphis Grizzlies won their 11th straight game to match the franchise record, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-114 on Wednesday night.
Steven Adams targeted the winner with 16 seconds remaining. Adams was in a position to tip on a Morant miss.
“[Adams] he’s been doing what he’s been doing all season … running the boards,” Morant said. “He got us the win.”
Dillon Brooks preserved the victory by blocking Garland’s 3-point attempt at the buzzer.
“I just wanted to stay [Garland]Brooks said of the final seconds. “He tried to dodge me and hit a jump shot, but I blocked it.”
Darius Garland led Cleveland with 24 points and 14 assists, Caris LeVert had 23 and Evan Mobley added 18 points and 15 rebounds. Cleveland played without leading scorer Donovan Mitchell because of a left groin strain.
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“It was really fun,” Garland said. “The crowd was interested. We were interested. Everyone was competing at a high level. We just couldn’t get the result we wanted.”
Memphis (31-13) tied the franchise record set last season during roughly the same time of year (Dec. 26, 2021-Jan. 13, 2022). The Grizzlies also scored 115 or more points for the 11th straight game.
The Grizzlies led by seven at the half, but the Cavaliers stayed close throughout the third quarter and took the lead, 91-89, in the final seconds on Lamar Stevens’ 3-pointer.
In the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies built a quick six-point lead after Bane’s 3-pointer, but the Cavs responded with a 9-0 run. He stayed close for the last seven minutes of the game.
“We put ourselves in a great position down the stretch,” Cavaliers coach JB Bickerstaff said. “They just made one more play than we did.”
Source: news.google.com