Cavs rout Spurs 125-101 behind Darius Garland’s 37 points
Garland scores career-high 37 points to lift Cleveland out of 5-game skid
The Cleveland Cavaliers played with confidence and poise, in their most complete game of 2021, to rout the San Antonio Spurs on Monday with a final score of 125-101.
Darius Garland fired off a quick 9 points to start the game, guiding the Cavs to a 28-26 lead after one. The 21-year-old point guard continued his assault — playing without hesitation — through all four quarters, slashing to rim and finding his spots at the top of the key. Garland, who finished with a career-high 37 points on 14 for 22 shooting (5-10 from three), proved tonight that he has the skills and, more importantly, the confidence to lead his team into winning basketball.
Right behind Garland, the Cavs bench came ready to play, contributing 42 points in the win. It was a break out performance for Cavs’ newly-acquired big, Isaiah Hartenstein who had a solid outing as well. Hartenstein notched a double-double leading the team in rebounds, pulling down 12 boards while chipping in 16 points. Cleveland forward Taurean Prince picked up where he left off against Miami pouring in 14 points and 7 rebounds at a team high +31. As the bench cooked, Matthew Dellavedova did the dishes providing 5 assists in 17 minutes.
Aside from a monstrous (missed) dunk early in the second half, Collin Sexton played unforced basketball and let the game dictate his play tonight. Sexton finished with an efficient 22 points on 7-17 shooting.
The Spurs were missing star guard Dejounte Murray who was sidelined with a sore foot. DeMar DeRozan led the team with 20 points, going a noteworthy 12-13 from the stripe.
Up next: The Cavs wrap up their three-game road trip in Oklahoma City on Thursday to take on the Thunder. Tipoff is at 8 p.m.