Cavaliers' Tristan Thompson: Plays more than expected Wednesday

Thompson started at center and played 28 minutes in Wednesday's 93-85 loss to the Grizzlies, providing seven points (2-5 FG, 3-6 FT), 11 rebounds and one steal.

Analysis:

Coach Tyronn Lue suggested prior to the game that he'd only play Thompson five or six minutes, but the 25-year-old ended up convincing the Cavs bench boss to let him loose, and he ended up leading the team in court time. Despite the absences of Kevin Love, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving for rest, Thompson wasn't able to carve out a much larger role on offense, amounting to a rather pedestrian night.