The Cleveland Cavaliers improved to a perfect 8-0 on Monday night with a big win over the struggling Milwaukee Bucks. Darius Garland played an integral part in the victory and in the process, put his name in Cavs history.
With his 39 points, the guard tied LeBron James for the most games with 5+ three-pointers. Via StatMuse:
He’s also just the second Cav ever to put up this unique stat line:
Garland was balling out. He shot 15 for 22 from the field and along with his 39 points, dished out eight assists. The former Vanderbilt standout only missed four of his 11 three-point attempts, too.
There was a lot of trade chatter surrounding him all offseason, but Garland is proving his worth early on after a down 2023-24 campaign. Cavs teammate Donovan Mitchell already came to his defense amid Garland’s strong start.
“I just want everybody who was on that side to stay on that side when it comes to him. I don’t want there to be a switch-up. I know who a lot of y’all are,” Mitchell said in reference to the incessant criticism Garland received in the last year. “There are times throughout your career when you have years like that. Obviously, he was going through things personally. You have to grow. You have to figure it out. A lot of people said he couldn’t.”
The Cavs are rolling and although it’s early, they’re looking like the real deal. Cleveland is top-five in offensive and defensive rating and ranks second in the Association in PPG with over 120 per night.
While five different players finished in double figures against Milwaukee, it was definitely Garland who stole the spotlight. He may be averaging just 17.9 points and 6.3 dimes but Garland is efficient, shooting 49% from the field and 40% from downtown. He also has a 61.7 true shooting percentage.
For the Cavs, this is the first time they’ve started 8-0 since 1976-77.
