Darius Garland injury update: Cavaliers' All-Star guard to miss several weeks with fractured jaw
Garland sustained the injury during Cleveland's loss to Boston Thursday night
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The Cleveland Cavaliers will be without Darius Garland for at least several weeks as the All-Star guard sustained a fractured jaw, the Cavaliers announced Friday. The injury happened during the Cavaliers' 116-107 loss to the Boston Celtics Thursday night. At the start of the third quarter, as Garland was driving toward the rim he collided with Kristaps Porzingis and immediately fell to the ground while holding his face.
Garland stayed on the ground for some time before walking back to the locker room while still holding the right side of his face. Despite the collision, Garland still played the entire fourth quarter. Here's how the injury occurred:
Darius Garland left the game after being hit in the face. He has returned to the bench area. #LetEmKnow | @cavs pic.twitter.com/yW1jQhboEy
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) December 15, 2023
The collision didn't look serious at the time, especially after Garland returned to play, but clearly, it was a harder hit than it looked. Losing him is a significant blow to an already struggling Cavaliers team. After the loss to the Celtics, the Cavs now hover just one win above .500 at 13-12 and have lost three straight games. It's a lackluster start from a Cleveland team that finished fourth in the East a season ago, and now with Garland out the road ahead will be even tougher.
The positive? Only one game separates the Cavs from a top-6 spot, and just four games separate them and the fourth-placed 76ers. But making up that gap will be considerably harder without Garland on the floor.
