Cleveland Cavs All-Star Darius Garland made his regular-season debut in Wednesday’s 132-121 win against the Philadelphia 76ers. Garland recovered from surgery on his big toe as his latest update from last week suggested a return was around the corner. He finished with eight points and four assists in 26 minutes.
After the win, Garland couldn’t hold back his excitement of being back in uniform in front of the Cavs’ home crowd, and posted a video on Cavs’ X, formerly Twitter.
“Game 1. I’m back! 10 is back! We got another dub, though back at the crib,” Garland said. “10 is back, though. We’re back, trying to get a groove in.”
Cavs All-Star Donovan Mitchell scored a season-high 46 points on 15-of-21 shooting, including 6-for-11 from deep, a percect 10-for-10 from the free-throw line, eight assists, and four rebounds. Jarrett Allen (24 points, 10 rebounds) and All-Star Evan Mobley (23 points) combined for 47 points on 20-of-34 shooting, including 3-for-7 from three, where Mobley made 3-for-5 from deep.
Donovan Mitchell on talk with Evan Mobley about Cavs’ playoff exit
David Richard-Imagn Images
Cavs All-Star Donovan Mitchell revealed a talk with Evan Mobley about last year’s second-round playoff exit against the Pacers. With all three All-Stars back together in light of Darius Garland’s return against the 76ers, the Cavs will look to regain the momentum it carried into last year’s postseason before a slew of injuries prevented a team from reaching its full potential.
Mitchell explained how he has been mentoring Mobley, and has already had conversations with the now 24-year-old about stepping up further for the Cavs when it came to playmaking, he said, per ESPN’s Jamal Collier.
“Me and [Mobley] had a conversation, it was like, ‘Hey, last year he took a step.’ That’s his first year really having the ball like that,” Mitchell said. “Now it’s like, ‘Hey, I’m not open … it’s you.’ That offense creation is coming from you. That’s what we expect out of you.’ But with that comes great responsibility, too.”
The Cavs improved to 5-2, tying the Knicks for the third-best record in the Eastern Conference.The Cavs will face the Wizards in an NBA Cup game on Friday.
