CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers got their No. 3 overall pick back from injury Saturday night and he helped snap a five game losing streak as Cleveland beat the Orlando Magic, 105-92.
Rookie Evan Mobley returned Saturday after being sidelined since Nov. 15 when he got tangled up during the third quarter of the game against the Boston Celtics and left the court for the remainder of the game with a right elbow sprain.
Mobley was expected to miss 2-4 weeks with the injury, but his return was just under the two-week mark.
On Saturday against the Magic, Mobley played 33 minutes, scoring 13 points and putting up nine rebounds, four assists and four blocks.
"It was great getting back out there," Mobley said. "Missed a few early on but I don't feel like it's rust, just missed the shots...I've been working on my drills and on my shot and all that."
Leading the Cavs in scoring was Darius Garland with 26 points. He also posted a double-double with 10 assists in addition to his four rebounds and one steal.
"His commitment to being great and he hasn't settled for anything and I think that's where you see guys become special," head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said of Garland. "He knows that he has to play a certain role in order for this team to be successful and he dares himself to get out of his comfort zone to get there."
The Cavs bigs, including Mobley, had quite the night, with Lauri Markkanen posting 20 points and five rebounds and Jarrett Allen posting a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Off the bench, Cedi Osman scored 10 with six rebounds, Kevin Love put up five points, seven rebounds and a block and Ricky Rubio put up five points, eight assists and a steal.
For the Magic, Wendell Carter Jr. lead the way in scoring with 19 points in addition to his 11 rebounds, while Robin Lopez had 13 points and Franz Wagner had 12 points and eight rebounds.
The win Saturday snapped a five game losing streak that began the night Mobley went down and saw the Cavs drop the next four games on the schedule in his absence.
Bickerstaff said that having Mobley rejoin the team with Markkanen and Allen in the mix as well helped them shrink the court and really boost their defense.
"The shear size of it is one thing. It really makes the court crowded when you have those guys out on the court together," Bickerstaff said. "That versatility on the defensive end is huge."
The Cavs, who are now 10-10 on the season, look to start a win streak on Monday as they face the Dallas Mavericks on the road. Tip off is at 8:30 p.m.
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Camryn Justice is a digital content producer at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on Twitter @camijustice.
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