Cavaliers’ Darius Garland Is Heating Up From Three-Point Range
Last night, the Cleveland Cavaliers earned their first NBA In-Season Tournament win in franchise history with a 108-100 triumph over the Detroit Pistons.
In the victory, Cleveland got its largest scoring contribution from Darius Garland, who scored a season-high 28 points, 17 of which came in the second half.
This was a much-needed performance for the Cavaliers, as leading scorer Donovan Mitchell was out due to a hamstring injury.
Six of Garland’s points came from behind the arc, as the 23-year-old drained two of his five three-point attempts.
Nov 17, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) drives to the basket past Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) during the first quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
© Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
After a slow start from three-point range to begin this season, Cleveland’s starting point guard is beginning to heat up from deep.
Last season, Garland shot a career-best 41.0% from downtown, which was a top-25 mark in the NBA. However, he shot just 2-for-15 (13.3%) from three-point range in his first four games played this season.
His last three games, though, have been a different story, as he has shot 8-for-18 (44.4%) from behind the arc.
After last night’s contest, Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff expressed how Garland is one of the most important pieces of Cleveland’s roster.
“We know how important Darius is to us. He is the leader of this team. The ball is in his hands, and he’s got the keys. Not only does he have the ability to create for himself, but there’s so much pressure that he puts on the defense, and he can find his teammates as well. But we need Darius to keep growing. We need him to keep being aggressive, keep leading this team, because we don’t go where we want to go without him being at his best.”
After missing five of his team’s first 12 games due to injury, Garland is now starting to find some consistency on the floor this season.
