Cavaliers-Grizzlies Preview
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The Western Conference has been by far the stronger side with 10 teams above .500 compared to five in the East.
That certainly hasn't intimidated the surging Cleveland Cavaliers heading into a matchup between first-place clubs.
The Cavs will try to extend their dominance of West opponents Wednesday night against the Memphis Grizzlies, but they'll have to get it done at a place they've struggled dating to LeBron James' first stint in Cleveland.
After winning a league-best 27 of 33 since Jan. 15, the Cavs (46-26) have stormed into second place in the East while building a three-game advantage over Chicago in the Central Division.
James led the way with 28 points and 10 rebounds in Sunday's 108-90 win at Milwaukee, while J.R. Smith had 23 points and hit seven 3-pointers as Cleveland opened a three-game trip with its third straight win.
James has scored 29.4 per game and shot 39.3 percent from 3 in his last 13 against West opponents. He finished with 25 points and 11 assists to help the Cavs shoot a season-high 60.5 percent in a 105-91 home win over defensive-minded Memphis on Dec. 21.
That was one of only four victories in the team's first 15 games against the West. Since then, Cleveland has won an NBA-best 13 of 14 such matchups.
"It's just a numbers thing," James said. "We just try to go out no matter who the opponent is and play our style of basketball. We know we're playing the second-best team in the West, so it should be exciting for us."
The Cavs have shown the ability to run with West opponents, averaging 109.8 points while posting a plus-10.7 scoring margin during this stretch. They've scored 102.8 per game when facing teams from their own conference this season.
Kyrie Irving has played well against the West with a 25.8 scoring average and 42-of-82 (51.2 percent) shooting from beyond the arc over his past 13 meetings. The All-Star is averaging 21.1 points with a 34.9 3-point percentage against East clubs.
Cleveland won't be facing the typical up-tempo West team in the Southwest-leading Grizzlies (50-21). They rank second in the NBA in defensive scoring at 95.2 points per game following their third straight win, 103-82 at New York on Monday.
Memphis, which owns a 2 1/2-game lead for the conference's second seed, has been particularly tough to beat at home. It's won 11 of 13 at FedExForum while limiting opponents to 85.4 points per game and a 40.6 field-goal percentage.
"We know what we are playing and getting ready for," forward Zach Randolph said.
The Grizzlies will likely continue getting the ball inside to Randolph and Marc Gasol after they combined for 44 points while pulling down 15 rebounds Monday. Gasol has totaled 45 points and 19 boards in his last two meetings with Cleveland.
Starting guard Courtney Lee's status is uncertain after missing the last two games with a right hand sprain.
"They are who they are and they don't change for no one," James said. "You have to try and beat them at their game and understand they're going to ground and pound."
The Cavs have dropped the past five meetings in Memphis dating to the 2009-10 season.
