FILE — Darius Garland #10 of the Cleveland Cavaliers dribbles downcourt against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on January 24, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images/AFP
Darius Garland scored a career-high 37 points and Collin Sexton added 22 as the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers rolled to a 125-101 win over the sputtering San Antonio Spurs on Monday to snap a five-game losing streak in a definitive fashion.
Cleveland came into the contest averaging just 90.8 points per outing over its five-game losing skid and only 102.7 ppg for the season, the worst in the NBA. The Cavaliers exceeded those figures late in the third quarter and then in the first minute of the fourth, respectively, and then builder their advantage to as many as 32 points down the stretch.
Isaiah Hartenstein added 16 points and 12 rebounds for Cleveland, with Taurean Prince hitting for 14 points and Isaac Okoro scoring 11. The 125 points tied the Cavaliers’ most points in a regulation game this season.
Career-high for @dariusgarland22❗️
37 PTS | 14-22 FGM | @cavs W pic.twitter.com/t5EwljOAEG
— NBA (@NBA) April 6, 2021
DeMar DeRozan led the Spurs with 20 points while Keldon Johnson, Derrick White and Rudy Gay added 13 points apiece. Johnson also had 10 rebounds for San Antonio. The game was the finale of a franchise-high nine-game homestand for the Spurs. San Antonio went 2-7 on the disastrous home stint and has lost three straight contests.
The Spurs were on top through the majority of the first quarter before Cleveland scored nine straight points to sweep to the front at 26-23 and eventually led 28-26 at the end of the period.
The Cavaliers kept up the pace through the first seven minutes of the second quarter, with Sexton scoring six consecutive points to help Cleveland go up 45-35 with 5:26 to play in the half.
The Cavaliers led 57-47 at the break behind 17 points from Garland, 11 from Hartenstein and 10 from Prince. Cleveland outshot the Spurs 48.9 percent to 40.5 percent over the first two quarters.
DeRozan paced San Antonio with 13 points in the half.
The Cavaliers put the game on ice with a dominant third period that saw them expand their lead to 21 points before setting for a 100-80 advantage heading into the final period.
San Antonio played without Dejounte Murray, who was ruled out just prior to tipoff with a sore right foot, and Lonnie Walker IV, who missed his eighth straight game with a wrist injury. The Cavaliers were missing Jarrett Allen (who’s recovering from a concussion) and Larry Nance Jr. (illness).