2 studs and 1 dud for Cavs in win over Pelicans on Monday

2 of 3

Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers. (Photo by Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports) /

Cavs two studs from Monday’s win over the Pels: Darius Garland and Isaac Okoro

The addition of Donovan Mitchell this offseason gave Cleveland one of the top backcourts in all of the NBA. However, with how well Mitchell has performed this season, it has sometimes overshadowed Darius Garland.

Yesterday afternoon, Garland would have to be the one to lead the Cavaliers’ comeback, as Mitchell did not play the final 12 minutes.

Garland entered the fourth quarter just 5-of-14, going for 16 points, but in the final quarter, Garland nearly doubled his scoring total as he scored 14 points, including knocking down a trio of three-pointers.

In addition to his 30 points, Garland was also excellent at distributing the basketball, as he racked up 11 assists. Garland is currently No. 7 in the NBA for the season, averaging 7.5 assists per game.

A performance like this from Garland serves as a reminder that he can have a big night on the offensive end of the floor, and yesterday was Garland’s fourth game of 30+ points and his 10th game of 10 or more assists.

The other player worth highlighting from yesterday’s win is Isaac Okoro. There were other Cavaliers that had more significant statistical impacts on the game than Okoro, but recently the Cavs wing has taken a step forward in production.

Focusing on yesterday’s game, Okoro scored 11 points (2-of-4 from three-point range), grabbed four rebounds, and recorded a pair of steals.

The hope for Okoro was to turn into a serviceable three-and-D wing player. While Mitchell and Garland have the responsibility to shoulder the scoring load, having Okoro knock down timely three-pointers is a key to the Cavaliers offense.

On the season, Okoro is connecting on 30 percent of his three-point attempts. But, over his past eight games, the third-year wing has connected on 11-of-20 (56%) of his three-point attempts.

Okoro’s shot wasn’t falling early in the season, and it appeared he lacked confidence. With this surge from Okoro lately, he looks confident shooting the ball. Okoro also excels at driving to the hoop and finishing around the rim. He is shooting 64 percent on shots five feet and in this season.

If Okoro can routinely knock down his three-point looks, that will significantly help the Cavs, as J.B. Bickerstaff likes having Okoro out there for his defensive ability.

That said, not all Cavaliers played their best yesterday.