After playing just 13 minutes in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ season-opener, Darius Garland ended up sitting up the next five games for the Cavs. He’s fully recovered from his eye injury now, though, and he made sure to make up for lost time on Wednesday against the Boston Celtics.
It was the perfect time for Garland to return as the Cavs faced off against the reigning Eastern Conference champions. The Cleveland All-Star point guard knew what was at stake, so he made a clear statement early in the matchup.
Garland scored 14 out of his team’s 35 points in the opening period in what turned out to be a red-hot start for him. This was Garland’s highest-scoring tally in the first quarter throughout his career (h/t Cavs Notes on Twitter):
Talk about coming back with a bang, right?
In Garland’s absence, new Cavs superstar Donovan Mitchell has been quite a force for the Cavs. The former Utah Jazz cornerstone superstar has lived up to the lofty expectations fans and experts had on him following his blockbuster offseason move.
Things should only get better from here on out for the Cavs now that Garland is back in the mix. His team has won all five games during his injury layoff, and they’re now looking to make it six straight with their star point guard back in the equation.
Cleveland gets Thursday off before embarking on a tough five-game road trip which includes matchups against the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers. They then close out their road run against the defending champs Golden State Warriors next Friday.
