Darius Garland discussed his adjustment to the LA Clippers after Monday’s 114-101 win over the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center.
“Just getting adjusted, you know, getting to LA, getting to knowing the guys, just knowing the staff, everybody around the organization, and then just trying to get back to me, getting it healthy,” Garland said.
The guard scored 12 points off the bench in his first game since being acquired from Cleveland, playing nearly 23 minutes despite early turnovers and a toe injury.
“Ty was like, man, you coming off the bench and I was like, it’s whatever. I want to fit in,” he said, describing his role in the rotation.
Garland noted the moment he felt comfortable attacking the defense.
“I was expecting getting blitzed after a month off… but probably after the first trade ball I made, I was like, ‘Okay, that one to the left.’ I was like, ‘All right, I think I’ve knocked the cobwebs off a little bit.’”
He praised the contributions of teammates in the second half.
“KD came in, got some really big steals. Jordan, Yanic played his butt off… it was really good team win for sure,” Garland said.
The Clippers overcame a 17-point deficit, fueled by Leonard’s 23 points and Dunn’s 16-point, seven-rebound, seven-assist performance.
Garland also spoke about pairing with Kris Dunn.
“It felt natural ‘cause I’m used to having like a guard with me on the floor at all times… KD got two really big steals in the second half that really started to get us going on the offense and defensively,” he said.
He highlighted lessons from the comeback effort.
“We just keep the same mindset like we got enough. It’s a lot of time in his game that we can come back and that’s what happened. Started picking up on our defensive end, got a couple stops, got a couple steals and led to buckets in transition,” Garland explained.
The guard reflected on the team’s energy shift.
“JVG came in and said we had to pick up the intensity. Ty Lue said the same thing. First group really started off in the second half. Kawhi started to take over… our second unit came in, tried to do the same thing, pick up the energy a little bit and that’s when we bust the game over a little bit,” he said.
Garland called his first win with the Clippers “a blessing” and expressed gratitude for the support from the training staff during his rehab.
“Really appreciate them just getting me back to this point. Yeah, man, it’s good being out there with the guys for sure,” he said.
Los Angeles hosts Indiana on Wednesday, while Golden State begins a three-game road trip Thursday in Houston, with injuries continuing to impact rotations.
