Darius Garland raves about Jarrett Allen stopping one of ‘best players’ in NBA to secure Cavs statement win

Cleveland Cavaliers star Jarrett Allen had a monster showing against the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday in a game that the Cavs won by a 107-104 score.

In the closing seconds of the game, Allen came up with a massive defensive stop on Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard.

After the game, Cavs youngster Darius Garland raved about Allen’s stop on Lillard.

“Dame is one of the best players in this league,” Garland said. “J.A. really moved his feet and kept his hands high and forced him into a difficult shot. That’s all we can ask for and J.A. had a great game. He switched out on a lot of great guards tonight and throughout the entire season. That’s what he does. Slides his feet really well. Came up with a great contest. Came out with a win.”

Allen’s defensive stop on Lillard was the cherry on top of his impressive night. The big man also went for 24 points, 17 rebounds and four assists. He went 9-for-15 on field goals.

Allen is quickly becoming one of the league’s top young big men. At 23, he’s on a fantastic trajectory.

This season, he’s averaging 14.4 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists per contest. He’s shooting a whopping 70.5 percent from the field. His impact has been massive so far, and he’s part of the reason the Cavs are off to a 5-4 start.

Cleveland is continuing to silence the doubters in the early stages of this season. Very few NBA fans thought this team was going to challenge for a postseason spot, but it looks like that might be in the cards.