CLEVELAND, Ohio — The loose ball bounced into the hands of Cavs point guard Darius Garland who darted past two Bulls defenders around the center court stripe, took another long dribble, stopped at the 3-point line and hoisted a picturesque rainmaker that splashed through the net and brought a once agitated crowd to its feet.
As the Bulls signaled for timeout, Garland hit his signature 3-point celebration — with a twist.
Three fingers to his lips and then to the sky. Only this joyous moment, about seven months in the making, didn’t stop. He kept blowing kisses and then finished with ferocious howl before heading back to the bench where his teammates, most of them in street clothes, waited to mob him.
Had the Cavs not lost to the Bulls — [a third straight setback overall, 136-125](https://www.cleveland.com/cavs/2025/12/undermanned-cavs-fail-to-weather-storm-lose-third-straight-to-chicago-bulls-136-125.html) — it would have been the signature moment Friday night. Perhaps in this turbulent season.
Even with the undesired outcome, it wasn’t inconsequential to see triples drop, the points pour and the joy return.
“That was the D.G. we know,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson boasted late Friday night.
Garland finished with a season-high 35 points — the most he has scored in any game since Jan. 25 — on 13 of 27 shooting and 6 of 12 from 3-point range to go with eight assists.
The longest tenured Cavalier electrified the crowd. He gave Cleveland hope on a night it had just 10 players in uniform. Rendered the Bulls’ defense helpless for long stretches.
“The old Darius that we know,” said teammate and pick-and-roll partner Jarrett Allen when asked what he saw from Garland. “He finally got into a rhythm. I feel like he’s finally finding himself on the offensive end, trying to get other people involved and his shot’s finally falling.
“It gives everybody confidence. You can see it tonight. It drives the team forward.”
For the last seven months, Garland has labored through a painful turf toe injury that cost him four games in the 2025 playoffs and required summer surgery.
The Cavs knew it would be a difficult recovery process. Team doctors let them know exactly what to expect — and to prepare for complications. The Cavs did their own research on past turf toe injuries, trying to fully grasp the trickiness of the ailment.
Memphis Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. A few others.
Despite its name, turf toe is a dreaded injury — a sprain of the ligaments around the big toe. Some cases are mild. Some are severe. Some require surgery. Some don’t. It’s especially problematic for athletes who rely heavily on shiftiness, change of direction, speed and explosiveness. Every time Garland tried to push off, he aggravated the injury and felt sharp pain.
Over the summer, when speaking with cleveland.com, Garland said it felt like he was playing on nine toes during the Cavaliers’ shorter-than-expected playoff run that ended with a 4-1 series loss to the zippy Pacers in the conference semifinals.
While Garland recovered without any setbacks and eventually made his season debut on Nov. 5 at home against the Philadelphia 76ers, he hasn’t looked the same.
There was also a re-aggravation of that same surgically repaired toe five days after his debut that sent Garland back to the sidelines for nearly two weeks. Since then, the Cavs have had to constantly manage the injury, even willingly accepting a hefty fine as a result of holding Garland out of the Nov. 24 game in Toronto — the second of a back-to-back. In their view — the complete opposite of the league — they made the best decision for Garland. They protected him.
Through it all, Garland’s frustration has built. He has had multiple extended postgame conversations with team trainers, always pointing down at his toe. He has spent planned off days conducting rigorous on-court workouts, trying to get back in rhythm and rediscover his lost touch.
In 13 games this season, Garland is averaging 16.9 points. He is shooting 37.9% from the field, including 32.2% from 3-point range and 42.3% on 2s (compared to 53% on 2s last year when he was named an All-Star for the second time in his career).
Was Friday the breakthrough Garland — and Cleveland — has been wanting so desperately?
“I’m getting healthy,” Garland said. “Trying to find my groove.”
Garland admitted that health is only part of the equation. He’s had to learn to trust his toe again.
“It’s trying to switch my mind to letting me actually do the things I’m used to doing,” Garland explained. “It felt good for the first time a couple games ago and tonight see the result.”
Cleveland’s miserable month continued on Friday.
It was without six every-night rotation players — Donovan Mitchell (illness), Craig Porter Jr. (illness), Evan Mobley (calf strain), Max Strus (foot surgery), Larry Nance Jr. (calf strain) and Sam Merrill (sprained right hand). The absences have played part in the first-half-of-the-season struggles.
But there’s more to it. Just like Friday.
Defensive breakdowns. Transition laziness. Point of attack futility. Waning effort. Miscommunication. Disconnectedness. Lousy shooting. Settling.
The Bulls, who have won just three games (two of those against the Cavs in the last 48 hours) since Nov. 23, tallied 136 points — the most Cleveland has allowed in regulation this season — and shot 52% from the field. An offensive rating of 127.1 — Chicago’s second best in 27 games.
Cleveland has lost three straight and eight of its last 11. The offense is mercurial. The defense is dreadful — even worse without Mobley, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. Coaches are searching — Atkinson reached out to members of the Guardians staff to discuss staying positive and weathering the storm. Team decision-makers, gathered in Orlando for the G League Showcase, have some soul-searching to do over the next few weeks as trade talks pick up. Chairman Dan Gilbert is displeased, according to multiple sources familiar with this his thinking.
The season has been a catastrophe. It feels bleak.
But behind all of that Friday was a development that can’t be ignored.
Garland was back. The old Garland. The pre-injury Garland. The two-time All-Star.
Was it a turning point for him or an aberration?