By james art Garland had 34 points (12-19 FG, 5-8 3Pt, 5-5 FT), three rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals in 33 minutes during Monday’s 110-104 win over New York. Garland led the Cavaliers in scoring with a season-high 34 points. Even if you factor in his stupidity on opening night, Garland is off to a strong start this campaign. In four games, he’s averaging 19.3 points, 5.0 assists, 2.0 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 3.3 triples while shooting 54.7 percent from the field.
Garland totaled seven points (3-12 FG, 1-6 3Pt), one rebound and six assists in 23 minutes during Wednesday’s 136-106 win over the Raptors. The Cavaliers cruised to a 30-point win over the Raptors earlier this season, but Garland didn’t do much outside of dishing out six assists and struggling with his shot. The talented floor general should find a way to turn things around sooner rather than later, as he’s averaged at least 18.0 points per game in each of the last three seasons, but could be in line for fewer touches forward, as Evan Mobley is likely to act as the Cavaliers’ second-best offensive option behind Donovan Mitchell.
Garland finished Wednesday’s 108-92 preseason loss at Detroit with nine points (3-10 FG, 0-5 3Pt, 3-3 FT), two assists, one fight and six steals in 25 minutes. Garland struggled with his shooting Wednesday, but he made up for it defensively on the floor as he was responsible for six of the Cavaliers’ 13 steals in the loss. Garland missed 19 games in 2023-24 with a fractured jaw, and since his return he has averaged 16.6 points, 6.9 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 33 minutes per game in 37 contests from the regular season.
Garland (rest) will start the preseason game against the Pistons on Wednesday. Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Caris LeVert and Evan Mobley will return after missing Cleveland’s previous preseason contest. Garland’s stats took a nosedive last year, but he battled the lingering effects of an early-season injury and is looking for a bounce-back campaign now that he’s healthy.
Garland will not play in Thursday’s preseason game against the Pacers, reports Evan Damarel of FearTheSword.com. Although Garland has not suffered any injuries, the Cavaliers are opting to sit out all of their starters for Thursday’s contest. Garland should be available for Wednesday’s preseason game with Detroit.
Garland had 30 points (12-27 FG, 4-13 3Pt, 2-2 FT), three rebounds, seven assists and two steals in 40 minutes during Monday’s 109-102 loss to Boston in Game 4 of the semifinals of the Eastern Conference. Garland led all Cavaliers in scoring while connecting on a quartet of 3-pointers, dishing out a team-high tying assist and adding a pair of steals in a well-rounded Game 4 against the Celtics. Garland, who played with more weight on his shoulders to lead the short-handed Cavaliers offensively, posted his highest scoring total of the postseason thus far. He recorded at least 14 points and four assists in all four games against Boston in the semifinals.
Garland had 14 points (6-15 FG, 2-8 3Pt), three rebounds, five assists and one steal in 36 minutes during Tuesday’s 120-95 loss to the Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Garland is in line for a rough matchup in this series, as he’ll have to deal with two excellent defenders in Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, so his performance in Game 1 isn’t entirely surprising. He also hasn’t been at his best in the first-round series against the Magic and is averaging just 14.8 points and 5.4 assists per game through eight playoff appearances. In fact, Garland has failed to surpass the 15-point mark in six of his eight playoff outings, a clear downgrade after averaging 18.0 points per contest during the regular season.
Garland finished with 12 points (3-13 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 5-6 FT), three rebounds, four assists and three steals in 30 minutes during Sunday’s 106-94 win over the Magic in Game 7 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Garland struggled badly from the floor and finished with more field goal attempts than points scored. However, the speedy point guard saved his fantastic performance by scoring decently in other categories. The Cavaliers need Garland to play a more prominent role offensively during the Eastern Conference semifinals matchup against the Celtics, as he averaged just 14.9 points per game while shooting 44.9 percent from the floor in the first circle.
Garland had 14 points (5-11 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 2-3 FT), three rebounds, six assists and one block in 32 minutes during Saturday’s 112-89 loss to the Magic in Game 4 of the first round of Eastern Conference Playoffs. Garland has yet to score more than 15 points in four postseason games and is shooting just 41.9 percent from the field during that span. After back-to-back losses in Orlando to tie the series, Cleveland needs more offensive production from its point guard if they want to advance to the next round. During the regular season, Garland averaged 18.0 points on 44.6 percent shooting, including 37.1 percent from deep.