Darius Garland scored 32 points shortly after being left off the All-Star squad and carried Cleveland when Donovan Mitchell was ejected on Thursday night, guiding the Cavaliers to a 128-113 victory over the struggling Memphis Grizzlies.
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On Thursday night in Cleveland, things rapidly heated up. Donovan Mitchell and Dillon Brooks were both ejected after a confrontation in the second half of the Cavaliers’ 128-113 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. Brooks was slammed to the ground midway through the third quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse after having a layup blocked near the rim. His hand flew up and whacked Mitchell in the groin as he slid over. Mitchell, who had caught the blocked ball behind Brooks, responded immediately.
Mitchell retaliated by throwing the ball toward Brooks. This caused a major brawl beneath the rim. Coaches and officials ultimately intervened and separated the athletes. Brooks was even seen tackling one of his own coaches to the ground at one point, though the coach looked to be attempting to break up the brawl.
Brooks was dismissed after a long review for a Flagrant 2 foul. Mitchell was also expelled for his part in the altercation. Mitchell ended with six points on a 2-of-11 shooting from the field. Memphis’ Brooks finished with nine points and two rebounds.
Cleveland possessed an 81-76 advantage when the brawl broke out, after having seen their double-digit halftime lead reduced to a single point in the third quarter. The Cavaliers then finished the quarter on an 11-2 surge, putting them back in control of the game. They then cruised to a 15-point victory.
Darius Garland led the Cavaliers to victory with 32 points and 11 assists. Off the bench, Cedi Osman scored 21 points, and Jarrett Allen ended with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Memphis’ Ja Morant came up just short of a triple-double. He finished with 24 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists. Desmond Bane contributed 25 points on 6-of-7 shooting from outside the arc. The Grizzlies’ sixth loss in their past eight games.
