CLEVELAND: Right about the time the Memphis Grizzlies were listing all of the players who weren’t available Monday night, Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue could sense the impending doom.
“It’s always dangerous because we tend to let our guards down,” Lue said before the game. “It’s going to be my job to make sure that we don’t do that.”
Better luck next time.
The Cavs didn’t put their guards up until the fourth quarter, and by then had suffered a knockout.
The Cavs committed a season-high 25 turnovers and were outplayed by the undermanned Memphis Grizzlies in a 106-103 loss, ending the Cavs’ brief three-game winning streak.
They trailed by as many as 14 in the second half and didn’t lead until 2:39 remained despite the Grizzlies missing five rotational players, including their three best in Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph and Mike Conley.
Gasol is out for the season, while Randolph (knee), Conley (foot) and Barnes (hamstring) were resting various ailments. Nevertheless, they took advantage of a Cavs team that committed countless unforced errors, couldn’t hold onto the ball and gave the Grizzlies 30 points off turnovers.
Kyrie Irving had a chance to force overtime, but his 3-pointer at the buzzer bounced off the back of the iron. Irving scored 27 points, including 14 in the fourth, and gave the Cavs their first lead with 2:39 remaining.
The two teams traded the lead four times the rest of the way, but the Grizzlies escaped when Allen beat LeBron James on a crucial jump ball in the final minute and Matthew Dellavedova was whistled for an off-ball foul during a Grizzlies inbounds pass, which gave Memphis one shot and possession.
James finished with 28 points, nine rebounds and five assists and Kevin Love had 14 points and 11 rebounds. He shot 10-of-10 from the free-throw line.
Allen returned after missing eight games with a knee injury to score a season-high 26 points and stop James’ drive to the basket in the final minute. He won the jump ball when Stephenson climbed over Dellavedova to tip the ball to Carter, forcing the Cavs to foul.
JaMychal Green had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Grizzlies, while Mario Chalmers had 17 points and seven assists starting in place of Conley. Stephenson scored 17 points off the bench and Carter added 15 off the bench for the Grizzlies, who had lost their previous three games against the Cavs.
“Every time [an opponent’s] star and key guys sit out, we tend to take a step backwards and kind of relax a little bit,” Lue said before the game. “These guys coming off the bench or these guys proving that they need minutes or want minutes, they play hard and we got to be able to accept the challenge.”
They didn’t. Now they depart Tuesday for a four-game West Coast trip that opens Wednesday at the Sacramento Kings.
Jason Lloyd can be reached at jlloyd@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Cavs blog at www.ohio.com/cavs. Follow him on Twitter www.twitter.com/JasonLloydABJ.