Darius Garland Makes Winning Return As Cavs Rally Past Hornets

• The Cleveland Cavaliers recorded yet another comeback win on Sunday
• Their furious fightback in the second half stunned the Charlotte Hornets
• Ricky Rubio made timely baskets in the fourth to hand the Cavs the win

The Cleveland Cavaliers battled back from a 16-point deficit in the second half to beat the Charlotte Hornets 114-108 on Sunday.

Five players scored in double-figures for the Cavs, who remained 3.5 games behind the Philadelphia 76ers for third place in the Eastern Conference standings.

The Cavs have won four of their last five games.

Darius Garland made a triumphant return after sitting out Friday’s loss to Miami with a quad injury. He scored 28 points, grabbed six rebounds, and dished out six assists in 39 minutes of action, per ESPN.

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He shot 8 of 20 from the field, including 2 of 10 from beyond the arc. Garland may have struggled with his outside shot, but he did knock down his free throws. He made 10 of his 13 free throw attempts, including one in the dying seconds that sealed the win for Cleveland.

Donovan Mitchell was the next leading scorer for the Cavs with 23 points. Evan Mobley stepped up in Jarrett Allen’s absence, finishing with 18 points and nine rebounds.

Rubio turns back the clock

Caris LeVert and Ricky Rubio provided the firepower off the bench, scoring 15 and 11 points, respectively.

One problem for the Cavs this season has been their abysmal away form. They have lost 20 of their 34 road games before Sunday’s contest. It looked like they were headed to another away defeat as the Cavs trailed by eight points entering the fourth quarter.

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They finished strongly, outscoring Charlotte 33-19 in that period. Rubio played his best game since returning from an injury, scoring nine of his 11 points during the fourth quarter.

It was another disappointing loss for the Hornets, who dropped to 22-48 for the season. They have lost 22 of their 33 games at home this campaign.

Cavs stun Celtics in overtime

Sports Brief recently reported on the Cavs’ win over the Celtics in another comeback.

Cleveland overcame a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter for an overtime victory.

Mitchell also starred in that thrilling win for the Cavs, scoring a team-high 40 points.