Memphis Grizzlies vs Cleveland Cavaliers Prediction & Match Preview - January 11th, 2021 | NBA Season 2020-21
The Cleveland Cavaliers will be take on the Memphis Grizzlies at home on Monday in what will be their second match-up in the last few days. This will be the teams' last meeting for the 2020-21 NBA season, and the Grizzlies will want to exact revenge for their loss in their first match-up.
The Cavaliers played without their leading scorers, Collin Sexton and Darius Garland, but they still won 94-90 on Thursday versus the Memphis Grizzlies.
Both teams have had their share of injuries to key players this season, and it will be interesting to see which of their remaining players will step up in this game.
Check out the 2020-21 NBA season’s first-half schedule here.
Match Details
Fixture - Memphis Grizzlies vs Cleveland Cavaliers | 2020-21 NBA Season
Date & Time - Monday, January 11th, 7:00 PM ET (Saturday, January 12th, 5:30 AM IST)
Location - Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, OH
The rosters of the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Memphis Grizzlies have been depleted by injuries to some of their rotation players, including a number of their starters.
The Cavaliers have missed the services of Darius Garland for a week due to a right shoulder sprain.
Collin Sexton (ankle) is day-to-day while Matthew Dellavedova, Dante Exum, Kevin Love and Dylan Windler have been out for quite some time.
Meanwhile, the Grizzlies will continue to be without young stars Ja Morant (ankle) and Jaren Jackson Jr. (knee) for this game.
Killian Tillie, Justise Winslow, Jontay Porter and John Konchar will also be unavailable to play as they recover from their respective injuries.
Memphis Grizzlies Preview
The Memphis Grizzlies are a scrappy squad who never back down from a fight even if they have no chance of winning. This is why the Grizzlies actually won against the Brooklyn Nets on Friday, surviving a 43-point effort from Caris LeVert to finish the game 115-110 to their favor.
Expect the same type of effort from guard Dillon Brooks, who has been delivering the goods since the injury to Ja Morant. Meanwhile, Jonas Valanciunas provides stability to the frontcourt and will have to be at his best when he faces the Cleveland Cavaliers' Andre Drummond on Monday.
Key Player - Brandon Clarke
If anything good has come from the Memphis Grizzlies’ injury-riddled season, it’s the emergence of Brandon Clarke.
The second-year forward has been averaging 15.7 points per game in his last three outings, including a 21-point, 8-rebound and 5-assist performance in the victory against the Nets.
For the Grizzlies to win against a tough Cleveland Cavaliers team, Clarke must continue to make the most of his increased playing time and produce at a high level.
Memphis Grizzlies Predicted Lineup
G Tyus Jones G Dillon Brooks F Kyle Anderson F Brandon Clarke C Jonas Valanciunas
Cleveland Cavaliers Preview
It’s been difficult for the Cleveland Cavaliers to keep bodies on the floor with so many injured players, but coach J.B. Bickerstaff has kept his unit ready for every game no matter who’s available.
In their last game, the Cavs lost 100-90 to the Milwaukee Bucks but not without giving them a scare.
The Wine and Gold were down by 19 points in the first half but they came storming back to tie the game late in the second quarter.
It is unclear whether Collin Sexton will be able to play in this game, so Damyean Dotson has to be ready to step into his shoes once more. Dotson scored 21 points against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.
Key Player - Andre Drummond
Andre Drummond is playing like an All-Star again and will anchor the team’s interior defense. Expect him to make life tough for the Memphis Grizzlies’ big man, Jonas Valanciunas.
The 27-year-old center had a huge game against the Bucks, putting up 26 points and 24 rebounds to become the first player since Anderson Varejao in 2012 to have a 20-point, 20-rebound game.
With so many of his teammates unavailable to play, Drummond will have to carry more of the offensive load for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Cleveland Cavaliers Predicted Lineup
G Isaac Okoro G Damyean Dotson F Cedi Osman F Larry Nance Jr. C Andre Drummond
Grizzlies vs Cavaliers Match Prediction
The Memphis Grizzlies and the Cleveland Cavaliers will have depleted line-ups to show in this match-up but only one will be victorious in the end.
If Collin Sexton returns for the Cavs, expect Cleveland to have more firepower than the Grizzlies can handle. Without Sexton, the game will be much closer but they have a fighting chance of winning the fixture.
Having said that, the Grizzlies look ready to pounce on the Cavaliers without Sexton and Darius Garland in the backcourt, and the former's frontcourt will provide plenty of problems for Cleveland.
Where to watch Grizzlies vs Cavaliers
The Memphis Grizzlies vs Cleveland Cavaliers game will be televised locally on FOX Sports Southeast Memphis and FOX Sports Ohio. International viewers can watch the game live on NBA League Pass.
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