Darius Garland erupts for career-high, lifts the Cavaliers over the Pacers

Darius Garland lifts the Cleveland Cavaliers in another thriller

The Cleveland Cavaliers successfully secured back-to-back wins by outlasting the Indiana Pacers on the road, 127-124. Without one of the team’s best players in Jarrett Allen, the Cavs had to rely heavily on their other All-Star in point guard Darius Garland to close this one out.

Garland not only picked up the scoring load by erupting for a career-high 41 points, but also continued to run the offense, finishing with 13 huge assists. He also went a perfect 9-for-9 shooting from the charity stripe, the final two of which helped Cleveland seal a 4-0 season series sweep over their division rivals.

After erecting a double-digit lead in the opening quarter, the Cavs allowed Indiana to race back in what eventually became a neck-and-neck relay to the finish. An equally resilient Pacers team even held the lead with a minute remaining in the match, before the Cavaliers went on a 7-2 run to steal the victory.

Playing without injured All-Star center Allen, two-thirds of Cleveland’s Tower City frontcourt in Lauri Markkanen and Evan Mobley continued to step up on both ends of the floor, each tallying 21 points or more and combining for 43 markers, 17 boards, six steals, and two blocked shots.

The Cavs were also very efficient in moving the ball without giving up the rock against Indiana, finishing with a season-low seven turnovers in the win.

Cavs set to continue on a crucial stretch to secure a postseason berth

The crucial win allowed Cleveland to extend the cushion over their closest chasers in the seventh-placed Raptors. Now 38-27, the Cavaliers are just one full game behind the suddenly skidding Chicago Bulls, whom they are set to face this weekend.

Winning games without their defensive anchor in Allen would be undoubtedly harder, especially in the upcoming bouts against several playoff contenders, but the team would remain in a good position as long as the Garland and frontcourt duo of Markkanen and Mobley can sustain something close to this level of production.

Markkanen is finally rounding back into form offensively, while the 20-year-old Mobley is relishing the added pressure starting in place of Allen and solidifying his frontrunner status for this year’s NBA Rookie of the Year award with his recent play.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are now 3.5 games clear of the Raptors and will look to tighten their hold on a playoff spot with more victories in the final few weeks of the regular season. They are scheduled for back-to-back tussles with tough Eastern Conference contenders Miami Heat on March 11, and then the Chicago Bulls on the 12th.