Kevin Durant's Strong Reaction to Darius Garland's Return to Cavaliers, Pacers Series

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Max Dible | Last updated May 9, 2025 9:35 PM ET

Darius Garland missed the last four games of the Cleveland Cavaliers' postseason run, but he showed up and showed out in the first quarter of a must-win Game 3 on the road against the Indiana Pacers on Friday night, May 9.

At one point in the first quarter, Cleveland led Indiana by 15 points. Garland offered a major spark for the Cavaliers to help them gain that advantage. He put up three points, two assists and one rebound on 1-of-4 shooting in 10 minutes of play.

However, Garland picked up three personal fouls in the stanza and began the second quarter on the bench because of that. But before leaving the game in foul trouble, Garland impressed members of the NBA who tuned in to witness his return, including Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant.

That was one of them passes Darius. Goodness gracious
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) May 10, 2025

"That was one of them passes Darius," Durant wrote on X. "Goodness gracious."

The pass to which Durant referred was a no-look assist to Evan Mobley with just under two minutes to play in the first quarter.

Darius Garland SWEET no-look to Mobley for the dunk pic.twitter.com/U1yT3JsmOV
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 10, 2025

Garland missed the past four playoff games with turf toe, though appeared to be managing the pain well in his first night back.

He is a two-time All-Star, including in 2024-25, and averaged 20.6 points, 6.7 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 75 starts during the regular season. Cleveland earned the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of 64-18, which was the second-best mark in the NBA behind only the Oklahoma City Thunder.

But the postseason begins with a clean slate for every team. The Cavaliers fell down 2-0 to the Pacers in Round 2, dropping both home games to begin the series after sweeping the Miami Heat out of the first round in historic fashion (highest point margin in league history).

Part of the problem has been injuries, which kept Garland out for both contests, while Mobley and De'Andre Hunter each missed Game 2 with health issues of their own.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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