1 stud and 1 dud for Cavs from win over the Spurs

Cavs stud: Darius Garland

After scoring 26 points in the first game of the road trip against the Portland Trail Blazers, Darius Garland scored no more than 12 points over the previous three games. However, Garland is taking his facilitating to another level, as he averages nine assists per game this month. He had been working through back soreness in the past few games, too.

Garland also did record the first triple-double by a Cleveland player since 2018 when he scored 11 points, and had career-highs in assists (15) and rebounds (10) against the Utah Jazz.

As for Friday night against the Spurs, Garland started out looking to score and led with 11 points in the opening frame, which included a trio of three-pointers. Garland would struggle in the second and third quarter, going just 2-of-9 from the floor for seven points.

But when the Cavaliers needed scoring in the fourth quarter, Garland rose to the occasion and poured in 14 points on 5-of-11 from the floor and a perfect 4-of-4 from the foul line. The fact that Garland was able to bounce back from a rough stretch during the middle portion of the game goes a long way. Garland is undeterred and does not shy away from the moment when his teammates need him.

Another positive takeaway from Friday night’s game is that Garland was able to dish out eight assists and only committed one turnover.

Garland has genuinely taken the leap this year, and every game looks more and more like the franchise point guard the front office had hoped he’d become when they selected him fifth overall in 2019.