CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers pulled out a much-needed 108-100 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Grades are based on our expectations for each player.
Donovan Mitchell
30 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds
The Cavs needed Mitchell to save them in the fourth quarter, and he did. Their offensive process wasn’t great, and they were a step slow on both sides of the ball. It probably wasn’t a game the Cavs deserved to win.
That said, they had the best player on the court in the fourth quarter in Mitchell. That’s what allowed
them to get the win.
Grade: B+
De’Andre Hunter
9 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds
Hunter didn’t make his presence felt on either end. That can’t happen when the Cavs are down Darius Garland, Jaylon Tyson, and Max Strus.
Grade: D+
Evan Mobley
22 points, 4 assists, 13 rebounds
Like Mitchell, Mobley found it in the fourth quarter. He wasn’t great on either side of the ball before then, but did enough in the end to help the team pull out a much-needed victory.
Grade: B-
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Sam Merrill
13 points, 1 assist, 5 rebounds
Merrill understandably struggled to stay with Ja Morant at the start of this game. This seemed to set the tempo for the night as he wasn’t his usual self on defense, even though he found a way to knock down some much-needed shots down the stretch. Six of his 13 points came in the fourth.
Grade: B-
Jarrett Allen
16 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists
Allen ran the floor, played with energy, and was aggressive on the offensive end. It was mostly what you want to see from Allen. Even so, he only played 26 minutes in the win, which isn’t entirely something he can control.
Grade: B+
Lonzo Ball
9 points, 5 assists, 7 rebounds
This is what you want to see from Ball. He made his threes, moved the ball from side to side in the half-court, cleaned the glass, and held his own defensively.
Grade: A-
Craig Porter Jr.
3 points, 1 assist, 3 rebounds
Porter played fine, but wasn’t hitting or generating many shots. He went 1-4 from the field and didn’t attempt a three.
Grade: C-
Larry Nance Jr.
0 points, 0 assists, 0 rebounds
Jaren Jackson Jr. attacked Nance on three straight possessions at the start of the second quarter. He drew a personal foul on each of them.
This sums up where Nance is. Right now, he can’t stay with his matchup on the defensive end and isn’t doing anything offensively to make up for it.
Grade: F
Dean Wade
4 points, 2 assists, 4 rebounds
The Cavs played their best basketball when Wade was on the floor. They outscored the Grizzlies by 22 with him on and were outscored by 14 without him.
Grade: B+
Nae’Qwan Tomlin
8 points, 1 assist, 4 rebounds
Tomlin kept his good play going even if it didn’t show up on the statsheet like it did last game. His energy is much needed on a team that has very little of it. I’m not sure they come back in this game without his hustle on both ends.
Grade: A
