Cavs overcome slow start, route Grizz in Memphis, 112-89 Friday

LeBron James had 18 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists in his 11th triple-double of the season (66th of his career-regular season) and the Cavaliers pulled away after a slow start to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 112-89 on Friday night.

The Cavs were looking to overcome the disappointment of their 110-103 loss to the Washington Wizards on Thursday, but found themselves down 27-20 after the first quarter. They quickly came back, outscoring Memphis in each of the remaining three quarters.

George Hill also scored 18 points, while Larry Nance Jr. finished with 15 points, eight boards, and four steals. Jordan Clarkson suffered a right eye laceration with 9:33 in the second quarter that required stitches. He returned in the third quarter and finished with 14 points.Rodney Hood scored all 10 of his points in the first half as the newcomers had good nights in the Cavaliers’ fifth win in the last six games. The only loss in the stretch was on Thursday night to the Washington Wizards.

“It’s just us communicating, talking. That’s it,” Clarkson said of the Cavaliers’ adjustments to new teammates. “Coaches have us in early before practice running plays. We’re trying to get comfortable with everything still. Trying to get comfortable with all the calls. We’ve got a ways to go, but we’re coming.”

This one was an impressive defensive effort for an organization that's been poor on that side of the court for two seasons. The Cavs recorded 13 steals, won the rebounding battle 46-37, and limited the Grizzlies to 33-of-84 (.393) shooting. Memphis also committed 23 turnovers for 35 points.

The Grizzlies (18-39) have lost eight straight and 10 of its past 11. They were led by 15 points from JaMychal Green and Tyreke Evans. Evans left in the fourth quarter with a rib injury. Marc Gasol added 14 points and seven rebounds.

James on the victory after losing the night before: “The break got the best of our legs (Thursday night). We missed a lot of open shots that we’re accustomed to making and watched them play very well on our home floor. Coming in here, we were just trying to play with a lot of energy. We didn’t start the game off well, but we picked it up and had the energy, had the pace that we wanted and got the stops that we wanted. It was a good win for us.”

On the season, James is averaging 26.6 points, 8.9 assists, and 8.1 rebounds per game. He is also shooting an astounding 54.7 percent from the field.

The Cavs have won five of six and four straight on the road. They start the longest home stand of the season Sunday -- a five-game stretch that begins with Gregg Popovich and the Spurs.

"Can't look at the homestand," James said. "We lost a lot of games at home. We've been playing better right now on the road, so, but, we have an opportunity to get settled. Seems like we haven't been home in a while. So to be able to get acclimated, just being back home, that helps a lot, so, just look forward to the challenges that we have."

COMING UP FOR THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: The Cleveland Cavaliers (35-23) welcome the San Antonio Spurs (35-25) to Quicken Loans Arena for a ABC televised game on Sunday. Tip-off at 3:30 pm.