The Memphis Grizzlies tied the NBA all-time record with 29 made three-pointers Monday but fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers 142-126 at FedExForum.
Dennis Schröder posted 22 points and 11 assists, Evan Mobley added 24 points and six rebounds, and the Cleveland Cavaliers dominated the interior in a 142-126 victory over the short-handed Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night at FedExForum.
Cleveland outscored Memphis 76-30 in the paint and connected on 38 of 51 attempts inside, shooting 58.4% from the field overall to improve to 50-29 on the season.
The Grizzlies' loss was accompanied by a historic shooting performance from beyond the arc. Memphis connected on 29 of 59 3-point attempts (49.2%), tying the NBA all-time record for made threes in a game.
"I think we tied the NBA record with 29 made threes — all-time record," Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo said postgame. "So I think we can be pretty proud of how we played with this group today on the court."
The push to set the record outright was a player-driven effort. Iisalo said injured big man Santi Aldama was tracking the box score on the bench and alerted his teammates to the mark within reach late in the game.
"The guys came to us," Iisalo said. "It was their initiative, and of course we were on it."
Memphis played without nine available players, including Ja Morant (left elbow UCL sprain), Zach Edey, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Aldama, Scotty Pippen Jr., Ty Jerome, Jahmai Mashack, Brandon Clarke, and Jaylen Wells.
The Grizzlies led 36-24 after one quarter, but Cleveland responded with a 44-28 second quarter to take a 68-64 halftime lead. The Cavaliers pushed the advantage to 101-90 heading into the fourth and closed it out to drop Memphis to 25-54 on the year.
Keon Ellis finished with 19 points and eight assists, while Jarrett Allen contributed 13 points and nine rebounds on 5-of-7 shooting with two blocks and two steals. Sam Merrill added 21 points off the bench. Craig Porter Jr. chipped in 11 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, and Nae'Qwan Tomlin hauled in nine rebounds.
Olivier-Maxence Prosper led Memphis with 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range. Adama Bal and Dariq Whitehead each scored 20 points, with Bal connecting on 6-of-11 attempts from beyond the arc. Lucas Williamson added 17 points, five rebounds, and four assists.
Walter Clayton Jr. and Cam Spencer combined for 20 assists, with Clayton Jr. distributing 11 and Spencer adding nine in Memphis's most notable bright spot on the night.
Several key rotation pieces played reduced minutes, including Spencer (20:56), Prosper (19:24), and Cedric Coward (17:31). Iisalo said the decision was about managing the health of players who have been dealing with lingering physical issues down the stretch.
"All of them have had a little bit of body issues as we've seen in the previous games," Iisalo said, "and we just feel like we're at the stage in the season where it's a big risk to take with the guys to try to overwork them."
Memphis attempted just 10 free throws to Cleveland's 37, a disparity that contributed to the final margin. Cleveland held a 48-31 rebounding advantage, with 13 offensive boards producing 21 second-chance points.
Memphis returns to action on Wednesday to face the Denver Nuggets.