Cavs Top 3: Darius Garland goes off on Spurs in impressive outing

The Cavs showed up and showed out against the Spurs of San Antonio, defeating the silver and black 125-101 in a rare one-sided affair for the Cavaliers. Usually Cleveland’s on the other side of these beat downs this year. The win sends the Cavs to 18-32, and drops the Spurs to 24-24. The story of the day was the utter domination of the Spurs by Darius Garland, a rarity for the second-year guard.

Garland posted a career high in points, with 37 on the night. It not only marked his highest total ever, but the first time he hit the 30-point mark in his pro career. He’s only had one 29-point game so far in his career, which gives you a clear idea how out of the norm this was for Garland.

The Cavs held the Spurs to a lot of bad shots, and sent their star DeMar DeRozen to the free-throw line to take 13 shots all on his own. DeRozen shot just 4-9 from the floor but still had 20 points due to him hitting 12 of 13 free-throws.

Top 3 Game Performers

1 Point – Collin Sexton

Sometimes you get a little complacent with how easy it is for Collin Sexton to score inside the three-point line. Sexton went 7-17, while going 1-5 from three-point, and 7-8 from the free throw line, while also recording five assist and three rebounds. Sexton defensively looked great due to the Spurs guards being less than ideal.

2 Points – Isaiah Hartenstein

In just 21.3 minutes per game so far in April, Isaiah Hartenstein is putting up 12.3 points, and 7.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 70% from the floor. In the game against the Spurs, Hartenstein continues to show what a steal he was, putting up a rare double-double. He had 16 points, and 12 rebounds off the bench, continuing to play more minutes due to Jarrett Allen’s concussion. At this rate, Hartenstein may end up being a key piece moving forward. Hartenstein is putting a +2.5 defensive rating so far with the Cavs. With more strong offensive outings like he had against the Spurs, the 22-year-old could be a real problem for opposing teams.

3 Points – Darius Garland

Garland set a career high in points, while also tallying up seven assists, two steals and a block. While these types of nights aren’t going to be expected, but that doesn’t take away from the sheer brilliance that he displayed.