Cavs’ Darius Garland: ‘Our first three quarters need to be like our fourth’

January 7, 2026

With no Donovan Mitchell around to bail them out, the Cavaliers needed someone else to take over Tuesday night.

Darius Garland, anyone?

Down nine going into the fourth quarter against the Pacers, Garland flipped the game on its head, scoring 14 points on a perfect seven-for-seven shooting in the final period as Cleveland stormed back for a 120-116 road win.

“That was Takeover DG from last year,” coach Kenny Atkinson said afterward. “Big shots. Tough shots.”

Garland had been anything but automatic in clutch situations coming in, ranking near the bottom of the league by the numbers. That narrative didn’t survive the fourth quarter in Indiana.

The Pacers’ aggressive coverage opened space away from the ball, and Garland made them pay. Back cuts. Floaters. Midrange looks. Nearly everything inside 16 feet.

He worked two-man actions with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, slipped into seams, and took what the defense gave him.

“A great point guard,” Mobley said. “Controlled the pace. Took the easy ones. Played good basketball.”

The dagger came with 12.5 seconds left — a heavily contested pull-up near the free-throw line that pushed Cleveland ahead 117-114. After that, it was free throws and finish-the-job time.

Last season, Garland was one of the league’s best crunch-time players. This season, not so much. Tuesday served as a reminder of what it looks like when it clicks.

“We need it,” Atkinson said. “If we don’t have that, we lose.”

Garland admitted his back tightened up as the quarter went on. Didn’t matter.

“Got the win,” he said. “That’s all that mattered.”

Craig Porter Jr. put it simply. “That’s the Darius we know.”

Of course, Cleveland needing a late rescue says something else, too. The Cavs (21-17) dug the hole themselves.

“I hate it,” Garland said. “Our first three quarters have to be like our fourth.”

Fair point. But when the closer shows up, it changes the conversation. And on a night when Mitchell wasn’t there to save them, Garland reminded everyone he still can.