CLEVELAND – – Darius Garland missed everything while sitting on the bench, but especially the joy of playing and winning.
He’s back, and it looks like he never left.
Garland scored 29 points in his return after missing five games with a nasty eye injury, Donovan Mitchell added 25 and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Boston Celtics 114-113 in overtime on Wednesday night for their sixth consecutive victory.
Garland added 12 assists, including an alley-oop to Mitchell in OT that put the Cavs up 112-109 and they held on for their second win over the Celtics in less than a week.
Afterwards, Garland lamented not having his sunglasses on as he squinted at the lights of the arena’s television studio. The 22-year-old’s left eye remains discolored and puffy following an injury sustained in the opening game.
His time away from the Cavs was harder than he could have imagined.
“We were winning and I was happy about that, but I wanted to be on the pitch with them and feel that energy,” he said. “I’m happy to be back now.”
Jayson Tatum’s field goal with 1:04 left brought Boston back to within one point, and thanks to some poor Cleveland possessions, the Celtics had a chance to win it at the buzzer before Jaylen Brown’s 18-footer came out of the way. back of the rim.
“It was pretty much about giving me the ball to play and I didn’t make it,” Brown said. “Two seconds is enough to get a good shot. I looked good. It’s a doable shot.”
Brown scored 30 points and Tatum had 26 points and 12 rebounds for the Celtics, who were looking to avenge a home overtime loss last week to the Cavs. But Cleveland overcame a 15-point deficit and now has two wins over the defending Eastern Conference champions.
“They’re hungry and they want to make some noise,” Brown said. “When you play against them you have to be ready to play, I’ll tell you that.”
Tatum forced that overtime with two sensational plays in the final 6.7 seconds.
First, he led the way for an emphatic dunk – and was possibly fouled by Jarrett Allen – to tie it 107-all. Then, on Cleveland’s final regulation trip, he blocked Mitchell’s 3-point pullback as the horn blared.
Garland had been out since the start of the season on Oct. 19, when he was accidentally punched through the eye by Gary Trent Jr. of Toronto. A nasty cut under her eyelid and excessive swelling kept Garland out.
But back to doing what he does best, Garland led the Cavs to another signature victory in this young season. Before the match, he was encouraged by Mitchell to fire the first six shots.
“He really set the tone,” Mitchell said. “I can’t speak for everyone, I just didn’t know what his pace would be like. He came out looking like he’s been playing with us this whole time.”
Allen added 14 points and 14 rebounds for the Cavs, who had some offensive issues while hosting Garland.
Garland didn’t show a speck of rust early on, making his first three 3-pointers and scoring 14 points in the first quarter – his career high in the first 12 minutes. He added three assists, two steals and moved around the pitch with his usual fluidity.
THREE-VELAND
The Cavs have been behind the curve, so to speak, when it comes to 3-pointers for the past few years.
But Cleveland came in averaging 34.3 shots from behind the arc, and coach JB Bickerstaff said he had no restrictions on how many shots his team could take.
“Any open shots the teams are ready to give us,” he said. “We will take them.”
They attempted a franchise-record 50 on Sunday against New York and made it 23, the second-most in club history.
TIPS
Celtics: Brown and Tatum each have six games over 20 points. …. C Robert Williams (left knee surgery) has been inactive in every game, but could return before the end of December.
Cavaliers: Improved to 3-0 in overtime. … Kevin Love missed all five 3s after making eight on Sunday. He landed a rare dunk, then passing himself off for his teammates to celebrate on the bench. “He barely got past the rim,” joked Garland. “I wouldn’t call it a slam but a trick. But I’ll give it to him.
NEXT
Celtics: Host Chicago Friday night.
Cavaliers: Visit Detroit on Friday to begin a five-game road trip.
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