CLEVELAND (AP) 鈥� Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points, Jarrett Allen had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Memphis Grizzlies 110-98 on Wednesday night to move within a victory of wrapping up a playoff spot.
All-Star shooting guard Mitchell, who has been bothered by left knee soreness for two months, also had eight assists in just his 10th game since Feb. 15. The Cavaliers have lost 11 of their last 17, but sit fourth in the Eastern Conference.
鈥淚t was time to get going and I felt really good tonight,鈥� said Mitchell, who also broke his nose in mid-March. 鈥淭he biggest cure for my knee is rest, but we don鈥檛 have time for that, so we have to find ways to adapt. I wanted to set the tone here.鈥�
Cleveland would lock up a top-six finish and its second straight playoff appearance with a victory Friday over Indiana or a win Sunday over Charlotte. It also clinches if Philadelphia loses one of its two remaining games.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great opportunity to control our destiny with all of these games at home,鈥� Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. 鈥淚f we take care of what鈥檚 in front of us, we鈥檒l be fine.鈥�
Darius Garland had 16 points and nine assists, and Evan Mobley added 12 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots for Cleveland. The Cavaliers blew a 26-point lead in the second half of their previous game, a 120-118 loss at the Los Angeles Clippers.
鈥淲e really need all three of these games, but we鈥檒l take it one at a time,鈥� Garland said. 鈥淭his group loves each other, so no matter what happens, this group has each other鈥檚 backs. That's the easiest part."
Jake LaRavia scored a career-high 32 and made eight 3-pointers, and rookie GG Jackson II had 22 points for injury-plagued Memphis, which has used an NBA-record 33 players this season. Scotty Pippen Jr. added 18 points and six assists.
The Grizzlies鈥� top four scorers 鈥� Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Marcus Smart and Jaren Jackson Jr. 鈥� were among their 12 players who are out with injuries. They dressed an NBA-minimum eight.
鈥淚t was one of those nights where anything I was throwing up was going in,鈥� LaRavia said. 鈥淚鈥檓 playing with confidence in my abilities and I鈥檓 just trying to take advantage of my opportunities.鈥�
Cleveland didn鈥檛 pull in front for good until midway through the third quarter at 62-59, when Mitchell fed Allen for a three-point play. Allen had 12 points and made all five of his field goal attempts in the period.
The Grizzlies held a 51-48 advantage at halftime, fueled by 21 points from LaRavia on a perfect 6-of-6 3-point shooting.
鈥淗aving a woe-is-me attitude isn鈥檛 going to help, but that hasn鈥檛 been a problem for us,鈥� Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said. 鈥淥ur attitude has been fantastic all year.鈥�
UP NEXT
Grizzlies: Host the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.
Cavaliers: Host Indiana on Friday night.
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AP NBA:
Brian Dulik, The Associated Press
