Cavaliers’ Darius Garland Records Second Consecutive 20-Point Game
Just 13 games into this season, the Cleveland Cavaliers have dealt with a handful of injuries.
Cleveland was without its leading scorer, Donovan Mitchell on Sunday evening for their second consecutive game. The Wine and Gold had a few additional players out due to injury, including their third-leading scorer, Caris LeVert.
Despite these absences, Cavaliers starting point guard Darius Garland rose to the occasion once again with his second consecutive 20-point performance.
The 23-year-old recorded a game-high in points for Cleveland’s second consecutive contest, scoring 26 in a 121-109 win over the reigning NBA Champion Denver Nuggets.
Nov 19, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) drives against Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. (1) in the fourth quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
© David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
This marks the first time this season in which he has scored at least 20 points in back-to-back games.
Garland scored a season-high 28 points in the Cavaliers’ NBA In-Season Tournament victory over the Detroit Pistons, which also paced all scorers.
He got off to a hot start tonight against Denver, leading Cleveland with eight first-quarter points. Garland made all three of his field goal attempts in the period, draining his only attempt from behind the arc.
He then tallied another eight points in the following quarter, which were tied for a game-high with fellow Cavaliers guard Craig Porter Jr.
Garland eventually scored 10 more points in the second half, converting five of his seven field goal attempts within the game’s final 24 minutes.
After averaging 17.2 points per game with one 20-point performance in his first six contests this season, the 2022 All-Star is averaging 27.0 points per game in his last two games, with at least 26 points in each game.
As Cleveland’s roster gets healthier, the team will look for Garland’s recent scoring prowess to continue as the season progresses.
