1 stud, 1 dud from Cavs’ dispiriting loss to the 76ers

1 stud: Darius Garland

Darius Garland has been battling a back injury off-and-on for a month, and the first-time All-Star has missed five of Cleveland’s last seven games. After taking the night off in Indiana he played against the 76ers and at times carried the Cavaliers’ offense on his back.

The first-time All-Star scored a team-high 27 points (no other player had more than 13) including 3-of-6 from downtown. He was the only player on the team able to consistently get into the paint and score, unloading his patented floater and also taking advantage of minutes without Embiid’s rim presence to score at the basket.

He was far from perfect on the night, as he needed 23 shots to get to his 27 points and recorded just six assists, and he labored his way to six turnovers against the active 76ers defense. Yet without Garland the Cavs likely lose by 30; he was their only consistent source of offense, and his pressure helped to generate looks for his teammates even if it wasn’t an assist opportunity.

Evan Mobley also had a solid game, at times pushing the ball in transition himself and playing good defense on Tobias Harris and Paul Reed. He was an efficient 5-of-6 from the field and had 11 points and eight rebounds; he was also a +1 on the night. Shouts to Dean Wade who continues to prove his value, contributing 10 points and logging a +14 in his 25 minutes.