Darius Garland puts the Pacers out of their misery

No Donovan Mitchell, no problem. With Cleveland trailing the Pacers by 9-points heading into the 4th, they needed a big offensive performance to win this game. Darius Garland did his best Super-Man impression, going a perfect 7-7 from the field for 14 points, and hit the ultimate dagger pull-up jumper with 11.6 seconds left to play.

Garland finished the evening with a game high 29 points on 14-23 shooting in 33 minutes. He also dished out 6 assists for 14 points. He was a problem for the Pacers defense, and despite shooting just 1-4 from 3, found a way to get inside the arc and dominate.

Rebounding woes hurt Pacers

Rebounding in the 2nd half was a problem for the Pacers, as they got dominated on the glass 30-9. Postgame, Rick Carlisle said that it was what ultimately lost the Pacers the game and that he probably should have played sophomore wing, Johnny Furphy, more minutes, after having a career high 11 rebounds.

Jay Huff mentioned during his postgame press conference that the Cavaliers were actively attacking the glass and it was what led to the Cavaliers +21 rebound margin in the 2nd half. For context, Craig Porter Jr. had 8 rebounds and Jarrett Allen had 7 rebounds in the 2nd half alone. The Cavaliers outscored the Pacers 17-7 in second chance points.

A Near Triple Double for Craig Porter Jr.

Craig Porter Jr. was all over the place in this game posting a near triple double with 8 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists. His play in the 2nd half was pivotal in spurring the Cavaliers comeback win.

One play that specifically stood out was in the early part of the fourth quarter. Porter Jr. was in the mix fighting for a rebound on the offensive end of the floor and as he fell to the floor, he corralled the ball and hit the wide open Jarret Allen under the basket for a reverse dunk.

Those type of plays are what Kenny Atkinson wants to see from his role players, and it helped spur the Cavaliers to their 21st win of the season.

Walker shows flashes of good play tonight

Although it did not result in a win for the Pacers, Jarace Walker showed flashes of good play, specificially in the 4th quarter. He saved a ball from going out of bounds after making a great defensive stop and then had a ferocious dunk that extended the Pacers lead and got Tyrese Haliburton to jump out of his seat.

Walker finished the game with 10 points off the bench tonight on 4-7 shooting and was +2. He also added a steal and 3 assists to his statline.