Darius Garland Wows NBA Twitter as Cavaliers Rout Ja Morant, Grizzlies
Darius Garland's 32-point, 11-assist outing propelled the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 128-113 home blowout victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday.
Garland shot 11-of-19 (4-of-6 from three-point range) and made all six of his free throws. His 14 first-quarter points set the tone early.
The ex-Vanderbilt star amassed 19 points and nine dimes by halftime to give Cleveland a 67-54 edge.
Memphis cut the Cavs' lead down to five points in the third quarter, but Cleveland pulled away down the stretch for the comfortable win despite a near triple-double from Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (24 points, eight assists, eight rebounds).
Garland did more than enough to put the team in winning position, an especially impressive feat on a night where star backcourt mate Donovan Mitchell struggled (six points, 2-of-11 shooting) before being ejected after 22 minutes following a fight with Dillon Brooks.
It was a remarkable performance against the Western Conference's second-place team. Garland led six Cavs in double-digit scoring on a night when the team shot 53.8 percent from the field and made 14-of-29 three-pointers.
Thursday also marked the announcement of this year's All-Star Game reserves, a list that Garland did not find himself on after making the contest last year.
Garland certainly made a case that he got snubbed on Thursday evening, and some folks on Twitter voiced their opinions on the matter while praising the star guard for a tremendous outing.
Garland and the 32-22 Cavs will enjoy a couple days off before heading to Indiana for a road matchup against the Pacers on Sunday.
