Max Strus is the gel, Darius Garland the maestro of the Cavs’ offense

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Max Strus is the gel that brings everything together for the Cavs .

In Sunday’s 105-102 win over the Raptors , Strus was the catalyst for the victory after Cleveland trailed by 10 at halftime.

Strus hadn’t scored in the first two periods, but after he saw the ball go through the net on back-to-back transition buckets, it was full speed ahead.

“When it gets like that, it feels like everything’s gonna go in,” Strus said. “So, just gotta keep shooting.”

The Cavs were pushing the pace and creating passing lanes to get Strus open, and he didn’t disappoint. The forward made eight total baskets, four of which were threes, on his way to a 20-point third quarter. It was Strus’ highest quarter-scoring output since he scored 20 with the Heat against the Magic on Dec. 17, 2021.

Behind his scoring outburst, Cleveland scored 32 points in the period, which was nearly double the amount the team scored in the previous quarter when they only amassed 17 points.

While Strus was held scoreless in the fourth quarter, his presence alone made the Raptors defense weary, not to mention grabbing 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. He had just two double-doubles in his first four NBA seasons combined, and in just 17 games, he’s already surpassed that amount with the Cavs.

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With the Toronto defense focused on slowing down Strus’ hot hand, it opened up the opportunity for the maestro of the offense, Darius Garland, to take over.

Garland, in his first full game back after being sidelined due to a neck strain in Saturday’s Cavs loss to the Lakers , finished the game with a game-high 24 points to go with eight assists.

“When the ball is in his hands, everybody’s an option,” Bickerstaff said about Garland. “He does things creatively, but he does things so selflessly, and he just makes the right play. And I think our big guys feed off of it because now they are able to make plays. ... It’s great to see him getting it going. He only had one turnover in the second half also, which is even better, but we need him. We need him to be big time every night.”

The point guard’s drive penetration led to multiple assists to Strus in the third but also dump-offs to Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley in crunch time to seal the game in the fourth quarter.

“We need him,” Strus said of Garland. “It’s always great to have him on the court with us. ... He orchestrates the offense and finds people in their comfort zones and gets people going. He’s a big piece of our offense, [and a] big piece of our team.”