Cavaliers notes: Darius Garland found form in Game 5

ORLANDO, Fla. — Point guard Darius Garland showed up in a big way for Cleveland during its 104-103 victory over Orlando in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal playoff series Tuesday in Cleveland. Garland scored 23 points — four more than he totaled in Games 3 and 4 on the road — and finished with five assists and five rebounds. He continued the bounce-back with 21 points Friday night in the 103-96 Game 6 loss. Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff saw the difference in the way Garland approached Game 5. "(It was) just the way he manipulates the game and understands how he's reading defenses, what they're trying to take away," Bickerstaff said before Game 6. "How he sets his teammates up — he has the ability now to play at different speeds because he sees the game and reads the game and understands … they're doing this, I need to do that and he can dissect his opponent because he has slowed himself down to be able to read what's in front of him and then be able to make plays through that." Garland has been an energetic player during his time in Cleveland and added another level of aggressiveness to his game during the postseason. "It's just about being in attack mode, playing forcefully, playing downhill and then taking what the defense gives him," Bickerstaff said. "People want it to be about shot attempts and those types of things but when he's playing with the speed and a force, the defense is going to have to make decisions. He just has to make the right play when he's being aggressive and being attack-minded." INJURY REPORT The Cavaliers and their fans didn't know until right before tipoff All-Star center Jarrett Allen wasn't going to play in Game 6. He also missed Game 5 with the bruised rib. "It's always about safety, right?" Bickerstaff said. "When you have an injury to your core, your ability to change directions, get out of the way, move freely … just play in the trenches like he does. We'll always look out for Jarrett." ** Forward Dean Wade (knee) made both trips to Orlando to be with the team but wasn't expected to be available for any part of the series against the Magic. Bickerstaff was asked if Wade might be able to suit up if Cleveland advances to the Eastern Conference semifinals. "I'll be honest, I don't have an answer for you," the coach said. "He hasn't moved on to taking contact and things like that, so until we see something like that I can't give you a fair answer." SOLID SWITCH Bickerstaff felt a change was needed after Cleveland's two blowout losses in Orlando, so he added forward Marcus Morris Sr. to the rotation in Game 5 and the veteran responded with 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting — including a pair of 3-pointers — while playing nearly 26 minutes, the most of any bench player. The minutes given to Morris came out of the account of Georges Niang, who played no fewer than 13½ minutes during the first four playoff games, yet never left the bench during Game 5. "He handled it like a pro," Bickerstaff said of Niang. "He was great during the game, helping his teammates out, still having conversations. Watching him the next day in practice he was going hard through all the things that we did, still staying engaged in it. Georges and I had a conversation and he'll still be a part of what we do." Morris and Niang played in Game 6. WIN THE THIRD Much was made of the third quarter during Game 4, when Cleveland was outscored 37-10, turning a nine-point lead at the half into an 18-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter. The performance was only slightly worse than Game 3, when Orlando outscored the Cavaliers 35-16. In Cleveland's three home wins, the Cavaliers outscored the Magic 69-61 in the third quarter, and Bickerstaff was asked how much focus would be put on performing well after halftime in Game 6 "I mean, I think every quarter is important," he said. "The start's important, but then again, with 24 minutes to go, a tone can be set and it can kind of dictate how things go from there. So it's gonna be important for us to win the third quarter." The Cavs outscored the Magic 29-20 in the third quarter Friday but still lost. Contact Shaun Bennett at (440) 329-7137 or sbennett@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him @ShaunBennettct on X.