Donovan Mitchell lifts Cavaliers past Grizzlies with fourth-quarter burst
donovan-mitchell-lifts-cavaliers-past-grizzlies-with-fourth-quarter-burst
The Cleveland Cavaliers shook off three sluggish quarters and edged the Memphis Grizzlies 108-100 on Saturday night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, riding a late offensive surge from Donovan Mitchell.
Mitchell poured in 14 of his game-high 30 points in the final period, helping Cleveland erase a deficit and improve to 9-5. The All-Star guard admitted the club still lacks rhythm without injured point guard Darius Garland but said Saturday’s finish showed needed resilience.
“We’re going to go through ruts,” Mitchell told reporters. “Guys are in and out of the lineup, so many different things. But we’ve still got to be that team. Tonight we answered the call when needed.”
Second-year forward Evan Mobley rebounded from a quiet outing against Toronto with 22 points and 13 rebounds. Jarrett Allen added 16 points, while reserve Sam Merrill chipped in 13.
Cleveland trailed for most of the night and managed just 92 points through three quarters before clamping down defensively. Memphis was limited to 16 points in the fourth, allowing the hosts to complete the comeback.
“I felt like we were stuck in mud again for three quarters,” Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson said. “We couldn’t get on a sustained run until the fourth quarter. Our defense saved us because we didn’t have it offensively tonight.”
Mitchell acknowledged the approach is “not pretty right now” but emphasized the importance of finding ways to win. “It’s 14 games in. I wish we were a little bit ahead of that, but we’re not,” he said. “We’re going to build the way we need to build.”
The Grizzlies fell to 108-100 after leading entering the final frame, though individual statistics for Memphis were not immediately available.
The Cavaliers continue their homestand Monday when they host the next opponent, while Garland’s status remains day-to-day.
Source: Hoops Wire
