How the Cleveland Cavaliers snatched a victory from Memphis Grizzlies

Above all else, it takes patience to steady the ship when things just can't seem to go your way.

The Cleveland Cavaliers proved patience can be nothing short of a virtue in a 108-100 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.

The duo of Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley seemed to flip a mental switch and overcome slow starts of their own just in time as they ended the night with 52 points for the Cavs. Grizzlies bigs Jaren Jackson Jr., Zach Edey and Santi Aldama combined for 51 points in the Cleveland win.

Nov. 13, 2025; Cleveland Cavaliers v. Toronto Raptors. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images — Nov 13, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) stands on the court in the first quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

The 3-point line became an early point of contention for both sides from the opening tip. Three of Cleveland’s first four shots were from beyond the arc, including an impressive pull-up make from Mitchell, while two of Memphis’s first three shots were from long range.

The green light never looked brighter for Cleveland’s shooters, who threw up confident shots in a desperate effort to get things going again once they started falling behind. Cleveland would end the night with 13 made 3-pointers on 40 tries even after they just couldn’t seem to find their rhythm from anywhere in the first quarter. Mobley and guard Lonzo Ball led the way as they splashed home six 3-pointers on 11 attempts.

The Cavs are fighting through a cold spell from the arc in their last five games after starting the season with a handful of incredible nights. They have hit as few as just under 25% of their 3-point tries in a Thursday loss to the Toronto Raptors, when guard Craig Porter Jr. was the only Cavalier to connect on more than 33% of his 3-pointers.

Porter Jr., who is averaging his most minutes per game as a reserve for the Cavs this season, played in 13 minutes as he and the bench unit earned plenty of time in the first half. Cleveland tried to rely on the 3-point line in its loss to the Raptors, where it attempted a total of 41 shots from beyond the arc while making just 10.

The perimeter battle quickly gave way to a bout on the interior as the Grizzlies switched things up. While Memphis chipped away at Cleveland’s defense with solid strikes and plenty of free throws, the Cavs opted to keep using an arsenal of jumpers in an effort to steer things back in their favor.

The Grizzlies would start running away with the game in the first quarter as a team effort kept their offense humming, but the Cavs managed to claw their way back and even take a comfortable lead by the fourth. Memphis used calm minds and clear hearts to counter every time Cleveland gained some ground in the first half, which only added to an off half for the Eastern Conference hopeful, but the Cavs snapped back into contention just in time to make a heroic run in the fourth quarter.

While they tried to adapt by working more on the inside in the second-half, it almost proved to be too little, too late until their miracle run in the fourth.

Led by the pair of Mitchell and Mobley, Cleveland started to steady itself and snatch victory from the jaws of the Grizzlies just in time to claim the home win. The Cavs pushed themselves up to 3-2 in their last five games after starting the season 6-3, which they can build upon as they continue through their six-game home stretch.

The Cavs will take on the Milwaukee Bucks at 7:00 p.m. on Monday in Rocket Arena. The game will be broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network and Peacock.