Darius Garland makes a victorious season debut against the 76ers in Cleveland.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Darius Garland was back in his happy place on Wednesday night.
The Cleveland Cavaliers point guard made his season debut against the Philadelphia 76ers and was back on the floor directing the offense.
Garland was in the starting lineup and had eight points and four assists in 26 minutes as the Cavaliers posted a 132-121 victory.
“Seeing the ball go through the hoop, passing the ball to 45 (Donovan Mitchell), Ev (Evan Mobley) and JA (Jarrett Allen) for sure,” Garland said about what he missed while recovering from offseason surgery on his left big toe. “It was great to be back with the teammates. Being around them makes me happy.”
Garland — who averaged 20.6 points and 6.7 assists last season — missed Cleveland’s first seven games after he had surgery on his injured big toe in early June. The turf toe injury took a toll during the playoffs, when he missed four games.
The Cavaliers had their early-season struggles without Garland in the lineup. They came into Wednesday’s game with an offensive rating of 111.3, fifth-lowest in the league, after leading the NBA last season at 121.0.
Coach Kenny Atkinson assessed his team’s offense as “clunky” without Garland in the lineup because players were taking on roles they weren’t used to. Mitchell was at the point while Mobley was forced to create more offense on his own.
Game Recap: Cavaliers 132, 76ers 121
For parts of Wednesday’s game, the Cavaliers looked like they were back to the style that made them the top seed in the Eastern Conference last season. The 132 points were a season-high.
“You have a guy that can initiate, get the easy shots and make everyone’s job easier,” said Mitchell, who had a season-high 46 points. “When you have a guy whose an All-Star, you have to pay attention where he’s at. When you know you have a guy out there that can create, it puts everyone at ease.”
Cleveland stormed out to a 30-13 lead and shot 15 of 29, including 7 of 16 on 3-pointers, as it was up 41-27 after 12 minutes.
“Those first seven minutes that was Cavs basketball. He knows what sets he wants,” Atkinson said. “It wasn’t perfect, but a big reason our offense took an uptick was Darius got us in our comfort zone. Everybody gets back to more of what their role is.
Philadelphia eventually tied it at 72 in the third quarter, but Cleveland went on another couple of runs and had a 20-point advantage going into the fourth.
Garland was 3-for-11 from the floor, including 2-for-7 on 3-pointers. He missed his first shot, but then buried a 3-pointer from the left corner 72 seconds into the game.
“I was definitely tired out there. I’m trying to get my wind back and after that let the chips fall where they fall,” Garland said. “When the first 3-pointer fell, it felt good.”
