Darius Garland, Jailon Tyson outscored Cleveland in NBA Cup win over Pacers

The The Cleveland Cavaliers brought back Darius Garland and Jaylon Tyson for the first time since November 10 in Miami, and the presence of each was felt on the court and even on the bench. The Cavs beat the Indiana Pacers 120-109 with an offense that looked more recognizable. A sight for sore eyes offensively. Combining for 34 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds, Garland and Tyson provided tremendous success along with their performance and positive attitudes.

“The excitement is up,” Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson said after the game, noting the crowd’s energy. “These two guys bring a lot of life, a lot of life in the arena, a lot of life in the team, a lot of life on the bench. So I think without them, we’re a little more work. Don (Mitchell) work like, Evan (Mobley) work like. They can be silly and funny and laugh at times, even helping me at ten. sometimes those guys are great spirits.

“JT has great energy. DG too,” Mobley added. “Just happy guys, and we’re definitely excited for them to come back and play with us on the field. So I feel like it just brings more life to the team.”

Garland had a great first half, where Cleveland had a drive-kick-swing-swing like it was 2024-25. He found De’Andre Hunter and Dean Wade in the corners, and from there it was popping all over the perimeter. Four Cavs starters had at least 20 points in the final score, including Mitchell, Mobley, Hunter and himself. Atkinson didn’t even know it until he saw it stat sheet.

“I thought we had three or four possessions that you want to put on film of a coach’s highlight reel, in terms of making the extra pass, the extra swing, the sharp, great spacing,” Atkinson said. “They were, like, reminiscent of things we had last year. Having those two guys back, Darius and Jaylon, really, really helps. It helps our spacing. We can make those plays.”

Having 28 assists on 43 field goals seems a bit pedestrian at first glance, but Cleveland drove into Indiana’s space the entire game. You wouldn’t know it by the numbers of paint attempts, but by how many splashes came from those initiations.

“It’s getting there,” Garland added of the wine and gold offense. “It takes time, though. We’re not even 100 percent healthy yet, so it’s going to take a while, especially when everyone else comes back. It’s still going to take a little bit longer. But yeah, we’re starting to get some flashes of some things from last year.”

Garland was glad to come out of the game unscathed despite a “little sting” near the end of his left toe. He was grateful that he “got out alive, got out healthy.

Tyson was a bright spot in his own right, picking up where he left off suffering a concussion from the heat.

“It was good to come back and compete with my brothers and end up winning,” Tyson said after the game. “My love for the game, I love this thing, don’t you? I want to play a long time. I want to be able to take care of my family. I tell my dads that all the time: my only NBA goal when I retire, when my future kids go to school, their dad, I want them to know, ‘Yeah, Jaylon Tyson, he was that guy.’ That’s where joy comes from.

“I’m just playing my role. I have a role on this team to bring that energy and be that connector for this team. I have to do that every day.”

There’s no doubting what Garland and Tyson mean to this Cavs group, and maybe it’s time to realize that Cleveland can be just as dangerous as it once was once the injury list is down.