"Sexland" guards one reason for Cavs' hot start

The Cavaliers recently posted a picture of Collin Sexton and Darius Garland waiting to check into a game and asked fans on social media to come up with a nickname for the young backcourt. Teammate Larry Nance Jr. was among those who replied. "I think we've all decided that these 2 officially go by Sexland," he posted on Twitter. That not only combines the start of Sexton's last name with the end of Garland's, it fits in another way. The 21-year-old Sexton and 20-year-old Garland had put up some sexy numbers for The Land heading into a game against the New York Knicks on Tuesday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Third-year pro Sexton became the first player in team history to average 27.0 points while shooting .590 or higher from the field over the first three games of the season. Dating to last season, he had a streak of seven straight games with at least 25 points snapped on Sunday, but only because he played just 29 minutes in a blowout win over the Philadelphia 76ers. "I'm a little bit more poised, a little bit more patient out there," the shooting guard said after the team's morning shootaround. "I'm not trying to rush anything out there. I feel like if I have the shot, take it. If I don't, don't rush anything. I'm just having fun with it. I feel like when I'm having fun, I'm at my best." Second-year pro Garland had 25 assists and just six turnovers over the first three games. He averaged 19.0 points in that span while shooting .548 from the field and .500 on 3-pointers. "I have a year under my belt," the point guard said. "I'm learning. I learned a lot from last year. "I'm the leader of this group, so I have to stay communicating with the guys, (tell them) wherever they need to be." The play of Sexton and Garland, who are both listed at 6-foot-1 and 192 pounds, helped the Cavs average a league-best 31.3 assists over their first three games, offering some proof that coach J.B. Bickerstaff's desire to play the game the right way is reaching his players. "It's pretty much playing for one another," Sexton said. "That's all he preaches, all he talks about. You're not bigger than the team. That's all he talks about each and every day in practice." INJURY UPDATE The Cavs didn't get great news regarding power forward Kevin Love, who will be out at least three weeks after aggravating his strained right calf early in the second quarter against Philadelphia. The oft-injured Love is scheduled to undergo further evaluation in approximately three to four weeks, so his return likely is at least five weeks away. "I feel bad for Kevin," Bickerstaff said. "He's been working his tail off to get himself right for this season. He was committed and bought into what we were trying to do. He wanted to get off to a great start. It's disappointing, to be sure, but I know Kevin will put the time in to make sure he's right when he comes back." The Cavs also were without small forward Isaac Okoro (sprained left foot), swingman Dylan Windler (fractured left hand) and guards Kevin Porter Jr. (personal reasons) and Matthew Dellavedova (concussion) against New York. The Knicks were minus leading scorer Alec Burks (sprained left ankle), rookie forward Obi Toppin (strained right calf), shooting guard Immanuel Quickley (strained left hip), point guard Austin Rivers (strained groin) and forward/center Omari Spellman (sore right knee). TIP-INS Cleveland will begin a six-game road trip Thursday afternoon against Indiana. The Cavs had at least 12 steals in each of their first three games. The last time they had at least a dozen in three straight games was Jan. 22-27, 2000. Cleveland center Andre Drummond entered Tuesday tied for second in the league with 2.7 per game, behind Miami guard Jimmy Butler (4.0). Cavs small forward Cedi Osman entered Tuesday needing six points to reach 2,000 for his career. Cleveland entered Tuesday third in the league in scoring at 122.3 per game (Atlanta, 124.7; Milwaukee 123.0) and first in point differential at plus-13.3. Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4061 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com.