Overview
- Darius Garland was cleared about 45 minutes before tip-off after being listed questionable with a left quadriceps contusion, marking his first full back-to-back since offseason toe surgery.
- Garland had said he planned to play both legs of the set, a shift from Cleveland’s earlier approach that kept him out of one half of back-to-backs while he ramped up.
- The guard has surged lately with 35 points against Chicago and 27 points with 10 assists in a 139-132 win over Charlotte, where Cleveland hit 24-of-44 from three.
- The Cavaliers remain short-handed, ruling out Evan Mobley (calf), Max Strus (foot), Lonzo Ball (injury management) and Larry Nance Jr. (calf), with depth pieces Luke Travers and Chris Livingston also out.
- Coaches and players point to defensive slippage and rebounding issues even as the offense rebounds, framing the Pelicans test as a measure of Cleveland’s consistency.