Darius Garland scores 32, Cleveland Cavaliers stifle San Antonio Spurs late for 114-109 win
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SAN ANTONIO — Darius Garland didn’t come off the floor in the fourth quarter of Friday night’s game at the AT&T Center in San Antonio. The Cavaliers needed him for the entire 12 minutes and got strong play from him as well as good defense to beat the Spurs, 114-109.
Two nights after getting his first NBA triple-double, Garland had 32 points and eight assists, including 14 points in the fourth quarter.
“He loves that pressure,” Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “We tried to use our timeouts wisely to give him breaks throughout the fourth quarter. But when it’s on the line, he wants to be in the game. It was a close game throughout that fourth quarter, and he didn’t want to come out.”
Garland started the fourth quarter with eight points in the first four minutes, including three midrange jumpers. He closed out the game with four free throws in the final seconds.
“It’s another way that he’s sacrificing for us,” said Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen, who had a double-double with 17 points and 16 rebounds. “He could’ve easily walked the ball up the court … he could’ve played soft on defense. But still, he was out there for, like you said, those full 12 minutes.”
Garland got off to a hot start in the first quarter with 11 points and four assists. He was 3-for-4 from 3 in the opening quarter. The team was 5-for-9 on 3-pointers in the first.
He capped off the opening half with a 3 from the mid-court logo and sprinted down the tunnel into the locker room. That helped take some of the sting out of what had been a great second quarter from the Spurs as he gave the Cavs a 64-59 lead.
“I knew it was going in when it left my hands,” Garland said. “When it went in, I just started running. The team wanted me to come to the bench. I’m like, ‘Bro, it’s half. Let’s just go to the locker room. We can celebrate later.’”
The Cavaliers leaned on their defense in the fourth quarter, keeping the Spurs scoreless for more than five minutes. After Dejounte Murray hit a jumper with 6:04 left to tie the game at 103, they didn’t score until Lonnie Walker IV hit a free throw with about 59 seconds left, trailing 108-104.
Neither team scored for more than three minutes until Lauri Markkanen and Allen had back-to-back dunks.
“There was that point that we got 11 straight stops. When you can bank on your defense to do that no matter what’s happening with your offense, you’re going to give yourself a chance,” Bickerstaff said. “To be able to get 11 straight stops to close the game out is impressive, how our guys committed to the defensive end.”
Garland attributed that long string of defensive stops to picking up the intensity.
“We definitely picked that up because we knew coming down the stretch we had to get stops. And as long as we got stops, we were going to get good quality looks on the offensive end,” Garland said.
Both point guards put on a show as Garland and Murray each had spectacular games. Murray flirted with a triple-double of his own as he had 30 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists for San Antonio.
Evan Mobley (15) and Cedi Osman (14) joined Garland and Allen in double figures.
The Spurs opened the third quarter on an 8-2 run and shot 5-for-9 from 3. They also outrebounded the Cavaliers, 16-9, in the third. But Osman had the Cavaliers’ second buzzer beater in as many quarters when he hit a 3 from the elbow to cut the Spurs’ lead to 86-84 heading into the fourth.
Isaac Okoro returned to the floor after missing his team’s previous five games with a left elbow sprain. He came off the bench and had six points in 16 minutes.
Free throws were a problem for the Cavaliers throughout the night as they hit just 14 of 24 from the line.
The win improved the Cavaliers to a 4-1 record on this six-game western road trip.
“I think this trip, funny enough, it’s about us getting our identity back,” Allen said. “After Ricky (Rubio) got hurt, we saw us falter a little bit into an identity that I didn’t think was us. Over these past three, four games, we’re starting to learn how to play Cavs basketball again, how to share the ball and how to defend.”
Next up
The Cavaliers wrap up their road trip in Saturday night against Oklahoma City. Tipoff is at 8 p.m. Eastern.
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Cavaliers rout Jazz behind Darius Garland’s first triple-double, Lamar Stevens’ career-high 23 points
Cavaliers guard Darius Garland celebrates after achieving a triple-double during the second half of the Cavs’ 111-91 win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night. [Alex Goodlett/Associated Press]
SALT LAKE CITY — Lamar Stevens scored 15 of a career-high 23 points in the third quarter and the Cavaliers beat the short-handed Utah Jazz 111-91 on Wednesday night.
Darius Garland had his first triple-double with 11 points, a career-high 15 assists and a career-high 10 rebounds. Lauri Markkanen added 20 points, Kevin Love had 16, and Eric Mobley finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high seven assists. The Cavs improved to 3-1 on their six-game trip.
Stevens finished with a career-high in points for the second time in three games.
“He’s just being him,” Garland said. “He’s playing aggressive on both sides of the ball.”
Cavaliers forward Lamar Stevens (8) scored a career-high 23 points in a 111-91 win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night. [Alex Goodlett/Associated Press]
Jordan Clarkson scored 22 points for the Jazz. Eric Paschall added 18 points, and Donovan Mitchell had 17. The Jazz lost its fourth consecutive game and suffered a wire-to-wire loss for the first time in 117 games.
With centers Rudy Gobert, Hassan Whiteside and Udoka Azubuike and forward Rudy Gay in COVID-19 health and safety protocols, the Jazz went with 6-foot-5 Royce O’Neale as their starting center.
It gave the Jazz a rare size disadvantage in the post, especially facing a frontcourt consisting of 7-footers Markkanen and Mobley and 6-foot-11 Jarrett Allen.
Cavaliers center Evan Mobley, right, had 15 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high seven assists in a 111-91 win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night. [Alex Goodlett/Associated Press]
“Obviously, it’s a little difficult being against a team that’s got like three 7-footers but we go out there and we try and do the right things,” Paschall said. “They were just a really big team.”
The Cavs took advantage of the small lineup and never trailed. The Cavaliers had a 50-32 rebounding edge and outscored the Jazz 60-36 in the paint.
“We didn’t change,” Cavaliers coach JB Bickerstaff said. “That’s the most important thing. We didn’t start messing with the game. We took all 48 minutes of it seriously.”
The Jazz erased an 11-point deficit late in the first quarter with baskets on seven consecutive possessions. Clarkson drove for a layup to kickstart the run and scored back-to-back baskets to help the Jazz tie it at 24-24.
The Cavs gradually built a double-digit lead again before halftime. Love and Markkanen made back-to-back baskets to ignite a 14-4 run that put the Cavaliers ahead 50-36 midway through the second quarter.
Story continues
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Lauri Markkanen, right, shoots over Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Alex Goodlett)
Mitchell and Bogdanovic made back-to-back 3-pointers to cut it to 62-58 early in the third quarter. The Cavs answered with a 21-0 run to keep the Jazz from erasing a lead once again. Stevens scored on four consecutive possessions to fuel the spurt and finished it off with a dunk that gave the Cavs an 83-58 lead.
He scored one fewer point in the third quarter than the Jazz totaled as a team.
“I got lost in the moment,” Stevens said. “I was able to pick and choose my spots. I just felt really confident, and I was just riding that confidence and allowing my game to just take me to those 15 points.”
The Jazz went 5½ minutes without scoring during the third quarter.
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) shoots over Utah Jazz guard Joe Ingles, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Alex Goodlett)
Tip-ins
Cavaliers: Rajon Rondo was inactive (right hamstring soreness). … Stevens scored the Cavaliers’ first 13 points of the third quarter. He single-handedly outscored the Jazz 13-6 in the first five minutes of the second half.
Jazz: Denzel Valentine made his Jazz debut after signing a 10-day contract Monday. He had five points and three rebounds in 17 minutes. Valentine appeared in 22 games for the Cavs this season. … Joe Ingles was ejected with 6:24 left in the second quarter after picking up his second technical foul. Ingles picked up his first technical at the 8:32 mark in the first quarter. He missed the previous four games after testing positive for COVID-19.
Cavaliers at Spurs
Time: 8:30 p.m. Friday
TV: Bally Sports Ohio
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Cedi Osman (16) drives around Utah Jazz guard Denzel Valentine, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Alex Goodlett)
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavaliers improve to 3-1 on road trip with win over Jazz
Winning on the road: Cavaliers hold off late rally to beat Kings
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Michael Wagaman
The Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jarret Allen had 18 points and 17 rebounds, Darius Garland also had a double-double and the Cavaliers held off the Sacramento Kings 109-108 on Monday night.
Kevin Love scored 19 points, Evan Mobley added 17 and Lauri Markkanen and Cedi Osman finished with 15 points apiece. Garland had 12 points and 11 assists and the Cavaliers completed the season sweep of the Kings.
As good as the win felt, Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff wasn’t entirely pleased. The Cavs committed 17 turnovers that led to 20 points, allowed 15 offensive rebounds and went scoreless in the final 2½ minutes.
“It’s a win so we’ll take it but it wasn’t our best,” Bickerstaff said. “We talk about playing with purpose and discipline for 48 minutes. We didn’t do that tonight. We can’t put ourselves in these type of positions. We have to improve because it’s going to cost us down the stretch if we don’t.”
Tyrese Haliburton had 21 points and eight assists for the Kings. Buddy Hield added 19 points. The Kings have lost a season-worst five in a row.
The Cavs led 109-99 with 2:34 remaining but went cold. The Kings went on their biggest run after that and got within 109-108 on two free throws by De’Aaron Fox. After the Cavaliers turned the ball over, Fox missed a 15-footer as time expired.
“We did all we needed to do to put ourselves in a position to win, We just couldn’t quite get over the hump,” Kings interim coach Alvin Gentry said. “If you tell me that I could get De’Aaron Fox a foul-line jumpshot to win the game, I’ll take that. If we play that way night in and night out we’ll change the direction of our team.”
The Cavaliers led going into the fourth quarter, fell behind by three, then went on a 14-2 run to take a comfortable lead. Mobley, quiet for most of the evening, made two baskets during the run then later made a three-point play to make it 106-99. Markkanen followed with a 3-pointer before the Kings made their late push.
“The message today was to come back how we were two weeks ago,” Allen said. “We were rebounding the ball, protecting the paint, doing everything that made us a good team. It was a huge step in the right direction.”
Coming off a season-low two points in Sunday’s 96-82 loss to Golden State on Sunday, Love got the Cavaliers going early and had 14 points in the first half including a 3-pointer that put the Cavs ahead by 12.
The Kings got within 47-45 on Marvin Bagley III’s dunk but Garland made a 3-pointer atop the arc for the Cavs and Osman followed with two free throws. Osman later scored on a reverse just before halftime to make it 62-49.
Lamar Stevens scored six of the Cavs’ first 11 points in the third quarter and fed Allen with an alley-oop pass but Hield made back-to-back 3s then added a third beyond the arc to help the Kings cut their deficit 84-79.
Tip-ins
Cavaliers: Allen had his double-double before halftime.
Kings: Richaun Holmes and Damian Jones remain in the NBA health and safety protocol.
Cavaliers at Jazz
Time: 9 p.m. Wednesday
TV: Bally Sports Ohio
Darius Garland’s 32 points lead surging Cavaliers past Spurs
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EditorsNote: minor edits throughout
Darius Garland poured in 32 points to tie his season high as the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers held off the San Antonio Spurs 114-109 on Friday in the first of back-to-backs for both teams.
The Cavaliers were up by five at the half but led just 104-103 after a free throw by Cedi Osman with 5:37 to play. The two teams went scoreless for more than three minutes before back-to-back dunks by Cleveland’s Lauri Markkanen and Jarrett Allen provided the Cavaliers the cushion for the victory.
San Antonio missed seven consecutive shots from the floor and three free throws in the decisive fourth-quarter stretch.
Allen had 17 points and 16 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who have won three straight games and four of five on their ongoing six-game road trip. Evan Mobley added 15 points and Osman tallied 14 points.
Dejounte Murray led the Spurs with 30 points and 14 rebounds. Keldon Johnson added 18 points, Bryn Forbes had 15, Lonnie Walker IV scored 11 and Devin Vassell scored 10 points for San Antonio, which has dropped five consecutive games. Jakob Poeltl had 12 rebounds for the Spurs in the loss.
The Cavaliers rolled out of the gate and led by 35-26 after Kevin Love’s hook shot at the end of the first quarter. Cleveland expanded its lead to as many as 11 points early in the second period before the Spurs rallied, forging a 15-5 run over 3 1/2 minutes late in the quarter to leapfrog to a 57-54 advantage.
Cleveland responded, ending the half by scoring the final eight points - including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Garland - to take a 64-59 advantage at the break.
Garland led all scorers with 16 points in the half, with Mobley adding 11 for the Cavaliers over the first 24 minutes of play. Cleveland outshot the Spurs 53.1 percent to 45.8 percent in the half and had 32 points in the paint to just 20 for San Antonio.
Murray paced San Antonio with 15 points and nine rebounds in the half.
The third quarter went back and forth with five lead changes before the Spurs carried an 86-84 lead to the final 12 minutes. San Antonio held the Cavaliers to 36.7 percent shooting in the period.
The Spurs host the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday while Cleveland travels to Oklahoma City.
–Field Level Media
Evan Mobley evolving into a fourth-quarter playmaker for the Cavaliers
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CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cavaliers know what they’re getting from Darius Garland from a playmaking perspective in the fourth quarter of games.
But when they’ve needed secondary playmaking in the final quarter, they’ve been looking lately to rookie 7-footer Evan Mobley for more help.
In the last nine games, only Garland (2.4) has more assists per fourth quarter on the team than Mobley’s 1.6.
“It’s that level of trust that he’s going to make the right decision when the ball is in his hands and not only from my standpoint, but from his teammates’ standpoints,” Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said prior to his team’s 111-91 win vs. the Jazz. “His teammates seek him out when the games are close or when the games are on the line to put the ball in his hands because of that trust. And that says a lot about him. To earn that trust this quickly is difficult to do for most rookies.”
He’s rewarded that trust with seven assists in his last two fourth quarters. That trust was evident in the final minutes of the Cavaliers’ 109-108 win at Sacramento on Monday night, as you’ll see in the following screenshots.
Multiple times in the fourth quarter, the Kings sent two defenders to trap Garland in pick-and-roll situations. In back-to-back possessions, Garland passed to Mobley out the trap.
The first time, Mobley drove into the paint and hit a floater plus a foul for a three-point play.
DeAaron Fox and Harrison Barnes trapped Garland out further from the 3-point arc on the following possession.
He’s then able to find Mobley at the top of the key. With Buddy Hield defending him, Mobley then passed to his left to a wide-open Lauri Markkanen, circled, for the 3.
Two plays and two traps by the Kings led to three points and an assist for three from Mobley in consecutive possessions. Those were the Cavs’ final six points.
“[Mobley] is just starting to get into that role really. He’s just so young, I mean he has so many different tools that he can go to. If I give it to him in the pocket, I know it’s going to be either a bucket or the next right play,” Garland said. “If I get double-teamed, it’s easy for me to just get off the ball so he can make the next right play.”
Since returning from the NBA’s health and safety protocols on Dec. 28, Mobley is averaging 17.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists in nine games. In those games, almost half of those assists come in the fourth quarter.
His best scoring quarter is the first, in which he averages six points and 0.5 assists. So, he does about a third of his scoring in the first quarter while most of his playmaking happens in the final three quarters.
“First-year guy doing that, seeing that he’s not afraid of the moment, he’s not scared in the fourth quarter or anything like that. He’s playing to his strengths and he’s been doing an unbelievable job for us especially down the stretch,” Cavaliers forward Lauri Markkanen said.
Mobley was one of 10 Cavaliers who went into the NBA’s health and safety protocols in mid-to-late December. When he came back on Dec. 28, several teammates – including Garland and Jarrett Allen – were still out. That meant Mobley had to do more offensively.
His only game with 20 field-goal attempts came without Garland and Allen on the floor. Mobley had three of his games with 20 points or more while Garland was out.
Now that the team no longer has players in the protocols, Mobley doesn’t have to do as much. But they know now that he can do more, and that’s led to his increased fourth-quarter usage.
“The more guys you can play on the floor who can play make, the better off you’re going to be. So just adding him and the places that you can get him the ball, you can pair him with Darius and make defenses have to make tough decisions,” Bickerstaff said. “Are they going to put two on Darius, which leaves Evan with the ball in his hand in an advantageous position? Or do they stay with Evan (and) now Darius gets to go to work? I think those are the things we’re starting to explore more is the partnerships and pairings on the floor.”
Mobley averages more fourth-quarter minutes (9.1) than Garland or any Cavalier who has played more than three games since Dec. 28. It’s another sign of the growing trust that the coaches and Mobley’s teammates have in the final quarter.
“It’s really fun just to watch him play,” Garland said. “When he’s out there, he’s moving freely, getting to any spot that he wants to. He has really good touch around the rim.
“He’s the Rookie of the Year in my eyes. Hopefully other people see that.”
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