The Memphis Grizzlies faced a short-handed Cleveland team on Tuesday, but the Cavs still had the only player they really needed.
LeBron James put up a triple-double with 30 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists as Cleveland breezed past the Grizzlies 102-87.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Ben Wallace both missed the game, making things a little easier for the Grizzlies to get the ball inside.
Darius Miles appeared in his ninth game of this season, one short of the 10 that would put his salary completely on the Portland Trailblazers. Miles scored 13 points in 13 minutes, a promising offensive display. I think he has proven that he still has the potential to be a consistent scorer, although he hasn't gotten extensive playing time yet. He has definitely made the most of the time he has gotten.
Kyle Lowry had a career-high 25 points for the Grizzlies, but O.J. Mayo struggled mightily, managing only a season-low six. Hakim Warrick added 15 for the Grizzlies, continuing his month-long streak of double-figure games. He has really stepped up offensively after a slow start to the season.
The Cavs shot 53 percent for the game, including 57 percent from 3-point range. The Grizzlies need to figure out how to defend the perimeter, although by this point in the season it is probably too late to change anything.
Comments
I used to live in Portland and watched Darius Miles play a bunch. Niketown is the best in Portland hands down of course. Hard to believe that O.J. didn't have a better game last night. Warrick's dunk highlight was sick. Denver got the best out of that Syracuse scoring tandem but, man they were an awesome team. I didn't think they'd beat Kansas that year, lost some money on that game. Anyways, I'd like to thank the Grizzlies for trading away Pau, making things easier for the Nuggets division. His brother just doesn't cut it as a replacement.
Denverguru