By james art 
Darius Garland and Damian Lillard went head-to-head in the fourth quarter. Lillard hit what felt like a crushing 3-pointer with less than a minute and a half left to give the Milwaukee Bucks a three-point lead.
Garland didn’t blink. He next converted a floater to cut the deficit to one, then hit the game-tying three on the following possession for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Lillard blinked. He ended the game by turning it over, missing a step-back three over Isaac Okoro and then getting blocked at the rim by Jarrett Allen to effectively end the game.
“I grew up watching Dame and I still watch his film to this day,” Garland said after his 39-point, eight-assist night. “It was super fun to fight him.”
Garland and Lillard made their buckets down the stretch in similar fashion. Both pulled and attacked off the dribble in high pick-and-roll roles. But the way Garland started set the stage for him to play that way in the bottom of the fourth.
Head coach Kenny Atkinson has been preaching since before training camp that he wants Garland to be much more active outside of the game. This activity created an easy look earlier in the game that allowed him to be in rhythm later.
Garland started the game with two easy catch-and-shoot threes. The second was the result of poor passing and even worse defense, but the constant movement created an open corner three, which he knocks down 45 percent of the time so far this season.
That carried over into the second quarter, where both of his 3-pointers were a direct result of coming off screens.
This opened up his game so he could drop down and attack when the defense over-stopped the outside shot.
Everything opens up for Garland and his teammates as he effectively gets to his spots at all three levels.
“That was one of our offenses [goals],” Allen said of Garland’s move. “Keep moving, try to get around the ball, find open space, set a screen for somebody. We want everyone moving all the time in our offense and Darius did an excellent job. He finds all the open spots and we give him the ball to let him knock it down.”
Garland knew that would be his role this offseason and prepared for it.
“I put in a lot of work this summer for sure,” Garland said. “Try to keep my conditioning high, but just the will to do it.”
This performance was further confirmation that Garland isn’t just back to his old self, he’s a better version of himself. On the season, Garland is averaging 20.5 points on 52.5% shooting from the field and 44.8% from deep on over seven 3-pointers per game. Those three-point percentages and volume are personal bests. His 2.4 turnovers per contest are also a career low.
Buying more offline makes this possible while also allowing Donovan Mitchell to be at his best. As a result, Garland has as many games of 34 or more points this season as he did all of last year, and Mitchell has already captured Player of the Week honors. It all added up to a perfect 8-0 start for the Cavs.
The good times will continue in Cleveland if both guards continue to play like this.
“That’s the guy,” Donovan Mitchell said. “That’s who he’s going to be.”