CLEVELAND — As point guard Darius Garland leads the Cleveland Cavaliers to a resurgent season, he said that a number of star players have reached out to him recently.
What You Need To Know
- Cavs guard Darius Garland has gotten compliments of his play from the likes of Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant
- The third-year guard is helping lead the Cavs to its best season in years
- Garland said the Cavs have a target on their back as they compete for a playoff spot
“Steph (Curry) reached out a lot,” Garland said. “Donovan Mitchell, his compliments are really cool.”
He said he has had others such as Kevin Durant and Damian Lillard tell him to “keep going, keep pushing.”
“That’s pretty cool to hear that from some of the best basketball players,” Garland said.
Garland has notched three straight games of at least 20 points and 10 assists. In 40 games this season, Garland is averaging 19.8 points and eight assists per game.
The Cavs go into Saturday’s game against Oklahoma City 2.5 games behind the Nets for first in the East. With the Cavs in the hunt for a playoff spot, the squad could reach the postseason for the first time in 24 years without LeBron James on the roster.
After playing two of the top teams in the East this week, Garland said the Cavs now have a target on their backs.
“We are getting some wins, so we’re putting the league on notice,” Garland said. “We have a target on our backs now, so teams come at us, trying to get wins against us. We definitely have a target on our back. We are on the radar for top teams in the league, top teams in the East. We are definitely getting more attention.”
Garland is among a group of Cavaliers hoping to stay in Cleveland for next month’s NBA All-Star Game.
“Hell yeah, I think I am an All-Star,” Garland said.
