Cavaliers’ Darius Garland was clowned after a brutal choke in a loss to the Rockets
The The Cleveland Cavaliers were a winning machine lately, and it looked like they’d put themselves in an incredible position to pick up another win on Wednesday night. After the Houston Rockets took a 13-point lead into the fourth quarter at home and appeared poised to close out the Cavaliers, Kenny Atkinson and company had other ideas.
The Cavaliers came back to tie the game at 107 with just seconds left and had a chance to tie or win the game on the final possession with the Rockets leading 109-107. Bizarrely, Rockets forward Tarry Eason fouled out Darius Garland on a 3-point attempt, giving the Cavaliers sharpshooter a chance to tie or win the game at the line.
Garland entered the game shooting 90% from the stripe, so it seemed like a given that he would take care of business and send the Cavaliers home with a win, or at the very least overtime. However, Garland shockingly missed the first two free throws before making the third, and the Rockets walked away with a 109-108 win.
Garland struggled at the free throw line all night, finishing 3-for-8 at the stripe in one of the worst free throw shooting performances you’ll ever see from him. After the game, the NBA fans took to social media dunk on Garland for dropping the chance to victory.
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“What a choke job by Garland, wow how did the Rockets get away with it,” wrote one fan on X, formerly Twitter.
Another fan added: “lol what an all time choke job from Darius Garland 😂 and the guy was literally laughing for 2 misses. Cavs fans in chaos haha.”
Garland still had a good day in the box, finishing the game with 26 points and five assists, but Cavaliers fans will only remember his rare lapses at the line that cost them the game in the end.
The loss drops the Cavaliers to 36-7 on the season, so there’s no reason to panic over a close loss to one of the best teams in the Western Conference on the road. However, this is the kind of loss that can stick with a team long after the game is over.
2025-01-23 04:21:00
