Cleveland Cavaliers looking to win 7th straight as they host the Memphis Grizzlies

CLEVELAND – It is a scary proposition for rival National Basketball Association (NBA) teams, but the Cleveland Cavaliers just seem to be getting better and better.

The Eastern Conference leaders will be bidding for their seventh successive win when they host the Memphis Grizzlies on Feb 23 (Feb 24, Singapore time).

The Cavs are coming off their second-biggest win of the season, a 37-point beating of the New York Knicks on Feb 21.

Donovan Mitchell scored 24 of his 27 points in a lopsided first half, Evan Mobley had 21 points and shot 82 per cent from the field, and Ty Jerome and De’Andre Hunter both excelled off the bench.

Jerome scored 19 points in as many minutes, while Hunter’s 16 points included a perfect four of four from beyond the three-point arc. The latter has knocked down 13 of 21 attempts from downtown in his four games as a Cavalier and has fit in at his new team like a glove after being traded from the Atlanta Hawks earlier in February.

“(Hunter) has got some edge to him,” Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said. “The physicality we knew about, but he’s got some moxie. Just the way he shoots the ball, there’s no hesitation.

“Sometimes when you come into a new situation, you’re trying to fit in. But he’s just kind of put his hand through the door, like ‘I’m in’. He’s not trying to fit in.”

The reuniting of Jerome and Hunter, who won the National Collegiate Athletic Association title together at Virginia in 2019, gives the Cavs enviable firepower off the bench.

Both are candidates to be named Sixth Man of the Year, not that the old friends discuss potential individual awards.

“Truthfully, we haven’t talked about it one bit,” Jerome said.

“The only thing we talk about is winning. Playing together is really cool. We won a championship in college together. If we can win a championship in the NBA together too, that’s where our minds are at.

“(Hunter) is obviously a phenomenal addition in the locker room, on the court. He gives us another mid-post scorer – somebody you can throw the ball to and get you a tough basket... he’s finding ways to be aggressive and be himself.”

The only negative for Cleveland in the victory was a right-hand injury suffered by Jarrett Allen. X-rays have ruled out a break, but the centre remains doubtful for the Memphis game.

The Grizzlies arrive in Ohio buoyant after overturning a 19-point deficit and finishing with an 11-1 burst to top the hosts Orlando Magic 105-104 on Feb 21.

Ja Morant scored 23 points while Jaren Jackson Jr and Desmond Bane contributed 16 points apiece.

Bane hit a tie-breaking free throw with 45.2 seconds left before Jackson blocked a potential game-winning effort by Orlando’s Paolo Banchero in the closing seconds to preserve the win.

“That was big time – coming up with big-time plays down the stretch,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said.

“It took everything we had, to the last shot. The resolve of the group was phenomenal. We just kept chipping away. We’ve just got to continue building on this.”

Meanwhile, in NBA action on Feb 22, Luka Doncic delivered a dominant 32-point performance as the Los Angeles Lakers snapped the Denver Nuggets’ nine-game winning streak with an impressive 123-100 victory on the road.

Doncic, playing only his fourth game for the Lakers since his blockbuster trade from the Dallas Mavericks, was in scintillating form as the Lakers conjured a statement wire-to-wire win over their Western Conference rivals.

He also had 10 rebounds and seven assists while LeBron James backed him with 25 points.

“I’m starting to feel a little bit more like myself – that’s why I was smiling the whole game,” Doncic told ESPN.

“There’s still a lot of room for improvement and this is only my fourth game. Chemistry takes time. But you saw today that things are getting better.”
REUTERS, AFP