Star Cavaliers Duo Had A Historic Performance In Loss To Rockets

Cleveland's Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell both had strong outings in the Cavaliers' defeat to Houston on Saturday night.

Jan 25, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) celebrates in the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

While the Cleveland Cavaliers fell to the Houston Rockets on Saturday night, suffering their third consecutive loss for the first time this season, they had two impressive individual performances.

A game after one Cavaliers guard duo made NBA history, another did the same against Houston.

According to Stathead, Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell became the sixth pair of teammates in NBA regular-season history to each record at least: 33 points, seven assists, and four three-pointers in a game. Including the postseason, they are just the seventh to do so.

Garland and Mitchell are the second Cleveland duo to achieve this feat. They join Kyrie Irving and LeBron James on March 3, 2017 against the Atlanta Hawks , when they became the first teammates in NBA history to reach these marks in the same game.

On Saturday night, Garland tallied a game-high 39 points and a team-high nine assists, while shooting 4-for-7 (57.1%) from deep. Mitchell followed suit with 33 points and seven assists, finishing 4-for-11 (36.4%) from long range.

A basketball player celebrating while wearing a wine and gold uniform. — Jan 25, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) celebrates in the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

The Cleveland tandem seems poised to head to the 2025 NBA All-Star Game next month, as Mitchell was named an NBA All-Star this past Thursday for the sixth consecutive season and second time as a starter. And with the NBA All-Star reserves being announced on Thursday, Jan. 30, Garland is also having an All-Star caliber season.

Per Stathead, the 25-year-old is one of just two NBA players averaging at least 21.7 points and 6.8 assists per game, while shooting at least 43.7% from three-point range. He is joined by Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokić, who was named an All-Star starter last week.

Mitchell and Garland will look to build on their latest outing when the Cavaliers host the Detroit Pistons on Monday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m.