The Memphis Grizzlies had a long All-Star break to regroup from a rough seven-game slide as they took on LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers at FedEx Forum.
First Quarter:
Marc Gasol started the Memphis Grizzlies off with a big dunk for their first two points of the night.
https://twitter.com/memgrizz/status/967206621481857024
Then, Brooks had seven quick points for the Grizzlies. Brooks hinted to having some extra fuel going against the best player in the world before the game.
@dillonbrooks24 on his @NBAAllStar experience, going against LeBron James, and his goals for the home stretch of his rookie season. pic.twitter.com/QsZVdLvp3u
— Brendan Smart (@bsmart21) February 24, 2018
Cleveland simply missed a lot of shots, and the Grizzlies capitalized on those opportunities. The Grizzlies led 27-20 after one quarter and 12 of those points were on the fast break.
Second Quarter:
The second quarter began just about how you would expect it.
LeBron James started to heat up, and Deyonta Davis was on his plate to feast on. Davis was exposed numerous times in the pick-and-roll. James connected with Nance on back-to-back oops. LeBron looked like a mad man after every rebound pushing the pace and finding his open guys.
The Grizzlies’ defense crippled, and Cleveland led 54-49 after being down seven at the end of one quarter. Brooks and JaMychal Green led the Grizzlies with nine points apiece and George Hill led the Cavaliers with 13 points.
Third quarter:
The Grizzlies bounced back from a rough start to the third quarter. James started off just where he left with a double-double midway through the third quarter.
LeBron starts the 3Q with a 💥 on @FoxSportsOH! #AllForOne https://t.co/zwwk51smN6
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) February 24, 2018
It seemed that everyone on the Grizzlies took a try at guarding number 23 in red, but nothing really worked out. Playing LeBron is like a slow death, and that’s what the third quarter showed us. Every time the Grizzlies got a bucket, LeBron and the Cavs answered with three more.
TRIPLE 👏 DOUBLE 👏 pic.twitter.com/BVrg6e1gmB
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) February 24, 2018
The Grizzlies ended the third quarter down 85-71.
Fourth Quarter:
The Grizzlies struggled to put anything together after a strong start, and that is putting it nicely — they were trailing in every statistical category outside of the first quarter. Just when you think things couldn’t get worse for Memphis, Tyreke Evans went down with a non-contact injury and had to be helped off the court.
The Grizzlies did not make up ground on a double digit deficit. The Cavaliers escaped with a 112-89 win and the Grizzlies dropped their eighth straight game.