Darius Garland Injury Update
The Cleveland Cavaliers lost their first game on Wednesday evening to the Toronto Raptors by a score of 108-105.
However, the most concerning aspect of the game was not the final score.
All-Star point guard Darius Garland left the game early due to an eye injury.
In 13 minutes of action, he had four points, one rebound, three assists, two steals and one block.
The Cavs do not play their next game until Saturday (against the Chicago Bulls), so they had practice on Thursday.
According to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, the former Vanderbilt star did not practice and stayed at the hotel.
Fedor: "#Cavs Darius Garland (eye) did not practice with the team today. He was back at the hotel. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Garland’s left eye is swollen closed and the team is currently preparing as if Garland won’t play against Chicago. However his official playing status is unclear"
This will be a situation to monitor closely because, with the addition of three-time NBA All-Star Donovan Mitchell, the Cavs are a potential contender in the Eastern Conference.
In his first game with the Cavs, Mitchell went off for 31 points, two rebounds and nine assists.
Last season, they finished the year as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.
Even though they lost in the play-in tournament, it was their best season sine LeBron James left the franchise in the summer of 2018.
Now, they have added Mitchell to mostly the same roster, which is why they are expected to be so good.
