Cavs’ Darius Garland Posts Second 30-Point Performance In Three Games
On Monday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers suffered their second consecutive loss, and third in their last four contests, in a 117-111 defeat to the Phoenix Suns.
Cleveland, however, did have an impressive individual scoring performance in the loss.
Point guard Darius Garland scored a team-high 30 points, shooting 10-for-17 (58.8%) from the field, 7-for-10 (70%) from three-point range, and 3-for-4 (75%) from the free-throw line. This was his second 30-point performance in the team’s last three contests, as he tied a game-high with 34 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves this past Friday.
The 24-year-old got off to an incredible start against Phoenix.
He led all players with 21 points in the first quarter, shooting a near-perfect 7-for-8 (87.5%) from the field and 5-for-6 (83.3%) from beyond the arc and draining both of his free throw attempts.
According to the Cavaliers on X, this was tied for Garland’s second-highest scoring quarter of his career, and the most points he has scored in a first quarter in his career.
Mar 11, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) drives to the basket against Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) during the second half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
© Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
He eventually scored four points in the following period, ending up with a game-high 25 points in the first half. According to the Cavaliers on X, this was the highest-scoring first half of Garland’s career, and most points in the first half by a Cleveland player this season.
However, after scoring five points in the third quarter, the 2022 All-Star did not score in the fourth quarter, shooting 0-for-4 from the field and missing his only three-point attempt.
After rolling his right ankle during the second half, Garland returned to play the last 7:50 of the final period.
Up next, the Wine and Gold will begin a three-game road trip when they face the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night at 8 p.m.
