Midway through the third quarter, the Memphis Grizzlies were leading the Cleveland Cavaliers by two points. By the end of the third quarter, the Grizzlies were facing an 11-point deficit.

Things only got worse from there as the Cavaliers kept knocking down shots and limiting the struggling Grizzlies offense. Memphis led by as many as nine points on Wednesday but fell 110-98 against the Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Jake LaRavia poured in a career-high 32 points for the Grizzlies (27-53). GG Jackson had 22 points and Lamar Stevens added a career-high four blocks to go with 16 points. Four Grizzlies players finished in double figures in scoring.

Cleveland (47-33) didn't have a great shooting performance, but star guard Donovan Mitchell was tough for Memphis to contain. He slashed through the lane to generate contact for free throws and knocked down five 3-pointers to pace the Cavs with 27 points.

Another new lineup

Lineup No. 51 was unveiled for the Grizzlies on Wednesday. LaRavia and Stevens returned to the lineup after Brandon Clarke (right hand bruise) and Jordan Goodwin (two-way contract restrictions) missed Wednesday's game.

Clarke and Goodwin's absences severely impacted the Grizzlies' depth. Memphis had only four players to score all of the points until center Trey Jemison made his first basket with 4:23 left in the third quarter. A lack of depth and the second game of a back-to-back wasn't a good recipe for attempting to beat one of the Eastern Conference's top teams.

Welcome back, Jake LaRavia

LaRavia didn't miss a beat in his return to the lineup after missing the past two games. In fact, he looked even better than before. The second-year Grizzlies forward was confident any time the ball came his way on offense. He's shooting without hesitation, and that's a strong example of growing confidence.

LaRavia's shooting ability was a major reason why Memphis targeted him in the 2022 NBA Draft. His numbers have been inconsistent in Memphis, but Wednesday's performance showed how effective he can be at his best. He made his first six 3-pointers before finishing 8-for-11. His eight 3-pointers surpassed his career high from March 27 against the Los Angeles Lakers.

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Memphis wraps up road schedule

One of the weirdest stats from this season is now complete. Memphis finished the 2023-24 regular season 18-23 on the road.

If someone told Grizzlies fans this season's team would have a better road record than last season's squad, surely they wouldn't have expected Memphis to miss the playoffs. The Grizzlies went 16-25 on the road last season, but the big difference was at home.

Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins noted earlier in the season that there wasn't anything in particular that led to the road success, but it's something to build on for next season.

What's next

Memphis will play its final two games of the season at home, starting Friday (7 p.m., Bally Sports Southeast) against the Lakers . Memphis is 1-2 against the Lakers this season. The one win was arguably one of the high points of the season when Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Marcus Smart and Jaren Jackson Jr. each topped 20 points for a road victory. None of those players will be available on Friday.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Jake LaRavia's career performance not enough for Grizzlies in Cavs loss