Darius Garland is a 90% free throw shooter. That did not matter Wednesday night. The Cleveland point guard had a chance to give his Cavaliers the lead at the free throw line with 2.1 seconds remaining against the Houston Rockets.

Fans all made the same joke on Wednesday about Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland's late-game choke job.

Darius Garland has been a revelation for the Cleveland Cavaliers this season. The Cavs have been perhaps the biggest breakout team this season, leading the league and the Eastern Conference in total wins with a 36-7 record.

Trailing the Houston Rockets 109–107 in the closing seconds, Cavaliers guard Darius Garland was fouled on a three-point attempt by Tari Eason and was gifted three free-throw attempts. After review, officials deemed that Eason's close-out was actually "reckless" and upgraded the personal foul to a flagrant foul 1—meaning Garland would get three free-throw attempts and the Cavaliers would receive the ball.

The Cavs are rolling thanks in large part to Garland's play, but the East — and Cleveland's — backcourt is a crowded one.

The Cavs mounted a fourth-quarter rally that fell short Wednesday night, losing to the Houston Rockets, 109-108.

Before the 2024-25 season started, Darius Garland thought about leaving the Cavaliers following their second-round exit from the playoffs.

Alperen Sengun made two free throws with 4.5 seconds left and Darius Garland missed two of three free throws after that to allow the Houston Rockets to hold on for a 109-108 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Darius Garland, an All-Star back in 2022, said Thursday that the Cavs should have 4 All-Stars this season. Garland appeared on the show “Run it Back” on YouTube and FanDuel TV. Garland, 24, is averaging 21 points, 6 assists and 30 minutes per game.

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The Cavaliers still had a chance for the win because of the flagrant foul. They retained possession and set up an inbounds play for a Donovan Mitchell game-winning attempt from the corner. But Amen Thompson got a hand in Mitchell's face, and his shot was well off-target.