Cavs Slip Up in Memphis

After jumping out to an early lead, the Cavs couldn't withstand a late run and dropped a nail-bited 109-11.

Cleveland held an 11 point lead after shooting 48.9% from the field through one half of play but was outscored by nine in the third period.  With LeBron on the bench, Memphis took the lead midway through the fourth period and spent much of the next 11 minutes jockeying back-and-forth for the lead.

With second remaining on the clock and the game tied at 100, James fumbled the ball and fell way short on an unbalanced attempt sending the game into overtime.

After two free throws from LeBron James knotted the game at 109 in OT, Mike Conley drove to the hoop and scored with three seconds remaining.  A last second desperation heave by the King rattled off the rim and the Cavs let one slip away in dramatic fashion 109 – 111.

King James played over 44 minutes and recorded his fifth straight double-double, scoring a season-high 43 points to go along with 13 boards.  The second half to Cleveland’s two-headed attack, Mo Williams, provided a solid outing with a 20 point-6 rebound-8 assist performance and Shaquille O’Neal added 16 points. 

The bench recorded an unproductive 26 points on 11 of 26 from the floor.  Texas alum Daniel Gibson was the lone star coming off the bench as he put up 13 points while canning each of his three attempts from downtown.

Cleveland turned the ball over 21 times, 10 of which came from Mo and LeBron, and recorded only 18 assists on the night.