Darius Garland had a big return to the floor. He steered the Cleveland Cavaliers to a season-high 132 points and a thrilling 132-121 victory over the Chicago Bulls. Garland missed the first seven games of the season after undergoing surgery on his left big toe. His return blew life into an otherwise mostly lethargic offense that posted the league’s fifth-worst offensive rating in his absence.
Garland averaged an impressive 20.6 points per game, 6.7 assists last season. In only 26 minutes on the court, his incredible gift and potential was on full display. He added eight points and four assists on 3-of-11 FGs, 2-of-7 3PT. He took the League by storm from the get-go. Only 72 seconds in, he buried a 3 from the left corner!
Coach Kenny Atkinson highlighted the difference Garland makes, stating, “Those first seven minutes that was Cavs basketball. He knows what sets he wants.” Prior to Garland’s return, the Cavaliers struggled to find their identity. His absence forced players to play out of position.
The Cavs quickly jumped out to an overwhelming 30-13 lead. They continued rolling through the first quarter, building their lead to 41-27 and showing the offensive flow that had been sorely missing. Garland acknowledged how difficult it was to watch his team struggle without him, referring back to their early performance: “I missed those first seven minutes of the game,” he said.
Though he admitted he felt weary from his extended absence from NBA action, Garland sounded encouraged about the progress he’s made in recovering from the injury. I was super exhausted on the course, he told us at the briefing. Creatively speaking, I’m mainly just concentrating on recovering my wind, and we’ll see what happens after that.
His teammates, too, understood what his return meant. As Donovan Mitchell said, “You have a guy that can initiate… get the easy shots and make everyone’s job easier.” Garland really established himself as the alpha, and you could see his impact on the Cavaliers’ offense. They returned to the identity that had previously turned them into a runaway top seed of the Eastern Conference.
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