Garland’s 14-point fourth quarter helped the Cavaliers erase a nine-point deficit.
The Cleveland Cavaliers avoided disaster. They overcame a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Indiana Pacers 120-116 thanks to a tremendous fourth quarter for Darius Garland.
The Cavs were shorthanded once again this evening. Donovan Mitchell sat out this game for rest. Additionally, Dean Wade left the game in the first half with a knee injury, and Jaylon Tyson was playing through an illness and didn’t seem to have his usual energy.
Finding workable bench lineups has been a repeated issue when the team has been shorthanded this season. This was a problem again in the first half. The starters kept the game close, but Indiana was able to make up ground once both teams’ reserves entered the game. The Pacers turned what was a back-and-forth game into a 9-point advantage at the end of the first.
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The Pacers were able to keep the Cavs at arm’s length until the fourth quarter. They pushed their lead to nine at the beginning of the quarter, but the Cavs were able to fight their way back from there.
An 11-0 run, fueled by Darius Garland, helped change the momentum of the game.
Figuring out what exactly happened from there is difficult if you’re in the Cleveland area. The local FanDuel Sports Network feed cut out for the final few minutes.
Based on the play-by-play available, the Cavs took a seven-point lead late in the fourth, but the Pacers were able to cut it to a one-point game with 30 seconds left with an 8-2 run.
From there, Garland hit a midrange jumper to make it a three-point game with 13 seconds left. The Pacers then got a five-second violation trying to get the ball inbounded, but the Cavs gave it right back as Evan Mobley had a backcourt turnover.
The Cavs played the foul game as they were up three with under 10 seconds left. They fouled Andrew Nembhard before he could take a game-tying three. He made the first, missed the second, but Craig Porter Jr. got the rebound and was fouled.
Porter split his free throws, putting the Cavs back up three. Aaron Nesmith was fouled on the inbound. He made the first free throw, missed the second, but Jarrett Allen got the rebound with three seconds left. Allen then put the game away on the line.
Garland came through when it mattered most. He scored 14 points on 7-7 shooting in the fourth. This included having 10-straight in the final few minutes to help Cleveland hold on to the victory.
Garland finished with a game-high 29 points on 14-23 shooting to go along with six assists, two rebounds, and no turnovers.
Evan Mobley also had a solid showing as he provided 20 poits, six rebounds, and five assists. Jarrett Allen and Sam Merrill both provided 19 points each.
Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 22 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Jay Huff had 20 points on 7-10 shooting with two assists and two rebounds in the loss.
This wasn’t pretty. The Pacers came into this game on a 12-game losing streak and have the fewest wins in the league. But for this Cavs team without their leading scorer, a win is a win. The victory brings their record to 21-17 on the season.
The Cavaliers will be back in action on Thursday as they travel to Minneapolis to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first leg of a two-game home-and-home series.
Category: General Sports
