LeBron James rattles off 13 straight points in fourth quarter, carries Cavs to 116-111 victory; Three takeaways

Three-pointers fall through basket at alarming rate

Over half of the three-point attempts in the game sunk through the net, with the Grizzlies shooting 56.5% (13-of-23) from beyond the perimeter, and the Cavs shooting 45.8% (11-of-24) from deep.

Interestingly enough, the hot numbers were a testament to open looks on offense and poor defensive performances from each side…

Tyreke Evans shot 71.4% (5-of-7) on three-pointers despite entering play with a 30.4% career clip.

Andrew Harrison shot 100% (2-of-2) on three-pointers despite entering play with a 27% career clip.

JaMychal Green shot 66.7% (2-of-3) on three-pointers despite entering play with a 36.2% career clip.

J.R. Smith shot 80% (4-of-5) on three-pointers despite entering play with a 37.2% career clip.

Kevin Love shot 75% (3-of-4) on three-pointers despite entering play with a 36.4% career clip.

Whether the defensive coverages were sagging or the offensive plays were clicking remains a mystery, but Cleveland and Memphis put on a show comparable to the Golden State Warriors’ nightly scoring frenzies.

“We’ve seen that before where teams have made tough shots on us,” said Love. “Some of them were contested. Some of them we just weren’t quite there on the rotations.”

The exciting nature of the showdown stemmed from the 12-point deficit the Cavs were able to overcome, and the 19-point margin the Grizzlies were able to overcome.

Simply put, premier shooting has the power to keep teams in games.

“Giving up 11 threes in the second half, that’s what kept the game close,” Lue said.

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