Darius Garland came up big for the Cleveland Cavaliers in their comeback win over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday. However, the star guard highlighted that he didn’t do it alone and gave credit to another unsung hero in the game: Ricky Rubio.
Garland was full of praise for Rubio after their 114-108 win, noting that they really missed that spark he provides off the bench. Rubio only returned to action last January after more than a year of recovering from a torn ACL, and while it hasn’t been an easy journey for him since suiting up, he’s slowly finding his groove again.
Against the Hornets, Rubio made 11 points, nine of which came in the second half as the Cavs bounced back from a slow start and erased a 16-point deficit to win
“It does a lot for us just having that spark off the bench. We have been missing him and it was great having him back out there just running the show, making really good reads and competing on the defensive end,” Garland said of Rubio, per Cleveland.com.
Ricky Rubio’s presence for the Cavs against the Hornets was certainly crucial, and the Wine and Gold will definitely need more similar performances from him as they try to secure a Top 4 seed in the East.
Fortunately for Darius Garland and Cleveland, it does look like that Rubio is getting back to his old self and regaining the usual confidence he had as a playmaker and scorer. Sure enough, it couldn’t come at a better time for Cleveland.