Ja Morant, in addition to being the leading scorer of the game with 37 points, provided six assists and two blocks for the Memphis.
The base Spanish Ricky Rubio debuted on Wednesday night with his new team, Los Cleveland Cavaliers, with a double-double by scoring 12 points and 10 assists in his team’s 121-132 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, which had the base Ja Morant, with 37 points, as the most outstanding.
Rubio, who ended up playing 25 minutes after starting the game from the bench, the game of the young team was serene of Cleveland, providing more depth and movement of the ball in the attack and a more coordinated defense.
But Morant, who besides being the top scorer of the game with 37 points he provided six assists and two blocks, he was unstoppable. The point guard made a triple of four attempts and the two free throws he made.
In addition to Morant, the Grizzlies stood out Desmond Bane, with 22 points, and De’Anthony Melton, with 20. The pivot Steven Adams it was made with 14 rebounds.
In the Cavaliers, the top scorer was the center Jarret Allen, with 25 points, who also had four rebounds, one assist, three steals and three blocks. The power forward Evan Mobley, the number three in this year’s draft, made good impressions on his NBA debut.
Mobley, 20 years old and 2.13 meters tall, scored 17 points and had nine rebounds, six assists, a steal and a block. The escort Collin Sexton he also finished the game with 17 points.
The game, played in the FedExForum de Memphis before 15,975 spectators, it began with equality. While in the Grizzlies, Morant concentrated the scoring tasks, in the Cleveland team the work was distributed in a more balanced way.
When the first quarter ended, the scoreboard indicated a tie at 32-32. Morant had 12 of his team’s points and Bane another nine. In the Cavaliers, Cedi Osman he was the top scorer with nine points from the three triples he had tried in the first 12 minutes. Allen and Sexton had another six points each and Rubio, five.
Rubio, who entered the court with seven minutes remaining in the first quarter after Garland suffered a stumble that caused ankle discomfort, made it clear from the first minutes its quality. In three minutes, El Masnou’s point guard scored a shot from mid-range, unlocked the Grizzlies defense with assists and hit a triple.
On defense, Rubio stole balls and threw his team on the fast break, giving the Cavs a speed they didn’t have with Garland on the court.
But in the second quarter, the Grizzlies they imposed their greatest experience about the youth of the Cavaliers. At the restart, Memphis scored five consecutive triples (two from Jaren Jackson and three from Melton) that Cleveland was unable to answer.
Those five 3-pointers in just over three minutes weighed heavily on the Cavs, who would finish the second quarter 12 points behind the Grizzlies, 73-61.
After the break, the Cavaliers reacted. With better defense, Rubio’s team only conceded 21 points in the third quarter while being able to score 29 points.
With a 94-90 on the scoreboard, the final 12 minutes began. But a couple of triples and several steals, again distanced the Grizzlies to 14 points.
However, the Cavs, who had lost 16 points in the second quarter, began to close the gap. With 2.33 remaining, two triples in a row brought Cleveland closer to one point, 117-116.
It was in vain. Morant reappeared, first with a mid-range shot, then with an assist to Melton to cap a 7-0 run with a triple. With an eight-point lead with 1 minute left in the game, the Grizzlies aborted the Cavs’ rebellion attempt. (D)
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
