Cavaliers' Darius Garland: Struggles in elimination game
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Garland had 11 points (4-16 FG, 0-6 3Pt, 3-4 FT), four rebounds and three assists in 33 minutes during Tuesday's 114-105 loss to the Pacers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
It's been no secret that Garland's toe injury affected him in the playoffs, but credit to him for pushing through at less than 100 percent. The Cavaliers may have been bounced out of the playoffs with a 3-1 loss, but they had an impressive regular season with a 64-18 record, good for first place in the Eastern Conference. Garland made 75 regular-season appearances, hitting 47.2 percent from the field with averages of 20.6 points, 6.7 assists, 2.9 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 2.8 three-pointers. Cleveland's star point guard is under contract with the team for another three seasons.
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Cavaliers' Darius Garland: Drops 21 points in Game 4 loss
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Garland notched 21 points (6-11 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 8-8 FT), six assists, one rebound and one steal over 27 minutes during Sunday's 129-109 loss to the Pacers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Playing in his second straight game after he sat out the final two contests of the Cavaliers' first-round sweep of the Heat as well as Games 1 and 2 of the semifinal round due to a left big toe sprain, Garland paced Cleveland in the scoring column, but his efforts weren't nearly enough to keep his team competitive in a blowout loss. Donovan Mitchell (knee) missed the entire second half of Game 4 and is set to undergo an MRI on Monday, and his potential absence in Game 5 on Tuesday could result in the Cavaliers needing to rely even more heavily on Garland in an elimination game.
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Cavaliers' Darius Garland: Will start in return Friday
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Garland (toe) will be in the starting lineup Friday against the Pacers, Serena Winters of FanDuel Sports Network Ohio reports.
After missing Cleveland's last four playoff games due to a toe injury, Garland will return to the floor for Game 3, which gives the team a considerable boost in the backcourt. In the two games Garland has played during this postseason, he averaged 24.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game, shooting 51.6 percent from the floor and 41.2 percent from deep.
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Cavaliers' Darius Garland: Set to play Friday
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Garland (toe) is available for Friday's Game 3 versus the Pacers, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.
Garland has been upgraded from questionable to available Friday after missing Cleveland's previous four playoff outings due to a left great toe sprain. The star guard has averaged 19.7 points, 7.4 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 31.9 minutes across his last 10 appearances. Garland should reclaim his starting spot from Ty Jerome.
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Cavaliers' Darius Garland: Expected to play in Game 3
Rotowire
Garland (toe) is expected to play in Friday's Game 3 against the Pacers, Shams Charania of ESPN.com reports.
Garland has missed Cleveland's previous four contests due to a sprained left great toe but participated in Friday's shootaround and is gearing up for a return to action. If Garland is officially upgraded from questionable to available, he will likely reclaim his starting spot from Ty Jerome.
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Cavaliers' Darius Garland: Present at shootaround
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Garland (toe) is officially listed as questionable for Friday's Game 3 against the Pacers, but was present during Cleveland's morning shootaround, Tony East of WTHR Channel 13 Indianapolis reports.
Garland has missed four straight games due to a sprained left great toe. However, he's trending in the right direction, along with De'Andre Hunter (thumb) and Evan Mobley (ankle), as they all missed the team's shootaround ahead of Game 2 before watching the 120-119 loss in street clothes.
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Cavaliers' Darius Garland: Questionable for Game 3
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Garland (toe) is deemed questionable for Friday's Game 3 against the Pacers, Evan Dammarell of DownEuclid.com reports.
Garland is in danger of missing his fifth straight contest Friday due to a sprained left great toe. If Garland is forced to sit out yet again, Ty Jerome and Sam Merrill should continue to receive increased playing time.
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Cavaliers' Darius Garland: Remaining out Tuesday
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Garland (toe) has been ruled out for Tuesday's Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Pacers, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.
Garland will miss his fourth consecutive contest due to a lingering left great toe sprain. Ty Jerome will receive the starting nod due to Garland being sidelined. The star point guard's next chance to play will come in Game 3 on Friday.
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Cavaliers' Darius Garland: Questionable for Game 2
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Garland (toe) is questionable for Game 2 versus the Pacers on Tuesday, Evan Dammarell of DownEuclid.com reports.
Garland has missed three straight postseason contests due to a sprained left great toe that he sustained near the end of the regular season. He did go through a light practice Monday morning, though coach Kenny Atkinson said it's still tough to gauge where he's at in his recovery. Sam Merrill started in Garland's place in Game 1, but was quiet with six points in 18 minutes.
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Cavaliers' Darius Garland: Remaining out Sunday
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Garland (toe) has been ruled out for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinal-round series against the Pacers on Sunday, Chris Fedor of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Garland will miss his third consecutive postseason contest due to a sprained left great toe that he sustained near the end of the regular season. Sam Merrill will receive the starting nod due to Garland being sidelined. The star point guard's next chance to suit up will come in Game 2 on Tuesday.
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Cavaliers' Darius Garland: Game-time call Sunday
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Head coach Kenny Atkinson said that Garland (toe), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's Game 1 against the Pacers, will go through his pregame warmup and be a game-time decision, Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star reports.
Garland is in danger of missing his third straight game due to a lingering sprained left toe he sustained near the end of the regular season. If the star point guard remains sidelined, Sam Merrill will likely receive the starting nod once again. Garland was a full participant during Friday's practice, which bodes well for his chances of playing against Indiana on Sunday.
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Cavaliers' Darius Garland: Questionable for Game 1
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Garland (toe) has been listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Pacers.
Garland could potentially miss a third straight playoff game, as he continues to nurse a sprained toe on his left foot. If the rising star cannot play in Game 1, the Cavaliers will likely lean on Donovan Mitchell as the floor general while looking to Ty Jerome and Sam Merrill to help pick up the slack in the backcourt.
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Cavaliers' Darius Garland: Game 1 status remains uncertain
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Garland (toe) participated fully in practice Friday, but his status for Game 1 against the Pacers on Sunday is "up in the air," says head coach Kenny Atkinson, Danny Cunningham of Locked on Cavs reports.
Garland missed the final two playoff games in the first round against the Heat due to a sprained left toe. If he's unable to play Sunday, Sam Merrill and Ty Jerome will likely be leaned on to help shoulder the load in the backcourt alongside Donovan Mitchell.
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Cavaliers' Darius Garland: Won't play in Game 4
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Garland (toe) is out for Monday's Game 4 against the Heat, Tom Withers of the Associated Press reports.
After missing Saturday's Game 3 win over Miami, Garland still isn't ready to return from a toe sprain Monday. If the Heat are able to stave off elimination from the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, the star guard's next chance to suit up would come Wednesday for a potential Game 5. Sam Merrill drew the start in Garland's absence Saturday, but De'Andre Hunter and Ty Jerome should also see an uptick in playing time off the bench in Game 4.
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Cavaliers' Darius Garland: Game-time call Monday
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Garland (toe), who is listed as questionable for Monday's Game 4 against the Heat, will go through his pregame warmup and be a game-time decision, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reports.
Garland missed Saturday's Game 3 win over the Heat due to a lingering left great toe sprain, and he was limited during Sunday's practice. If the star point guard remains on the shelf for Game 4, Sam Merrill and Ty Jerome are candidates for an increased role. De'Andre Hunter also saw an uptick in playing time due to Garland being sidelined in Game 3.
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Cavaliers' Darius Garland: Questionable for Game 4
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Garland (toe) has been listed as questionable for Monday's Game 4 of the Eastern Conference first-round series against the Heat.
Garland missed Game 3 due to his toe injury, which could sideline him for a second straight game Monday. If the rising star cannot play in Game 4, Cleveland may once again turn to Sam Merrill to help shoulder the load in the backcourt. However, Merrill went scoreless in 19 minutes as a starter in Game 3, meaning Ty Jerome, who notched the first double-double of his career Saturday in 22 minutes off the bench, could get an opportunity to run with the first unit.
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Cavaliers' Darius Garland: Iffy for Saturday
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Garland is listed as questionable for Saturday's Game 3 against the Heat due to a left great toe sprain.
Garland missed two of the club's last three regular-season games due to the left toe injury, though he has yet to miss a game in the first-round series against Miami. If the star point guard is unable to suit up Saturday, Ty Jerome and Sam Merrill are candidates for a bump in minutes. Garland has racked up 48 points, 14 assists, five rebounds and a steal across 63 total minutes in the club's first two games of the playoffs.
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Cavaliers' Darius Garland: Nearly double-doubles
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Garland had 21 points (6-14 FG, 2-8 3Pt, 7-8 FT), two rebounds and nine assists across 32 minutes during Wednesday's 121-112 victory over the Heat in Game 2 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Cleveland's backcourt has dominated this series so far, and the Cavaliers will carry a 2-0 lead into Game 3 in Miami on Saturday. Through two games, Garland is averaging 24.0 points, 7.0 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 3.5 three-pointers on 51.6 percent shooting from the field.
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Cavaliers' Darius Garland: Drops 27 on Heat in Game 1
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Garland closed Sunday's 121-100 victory over Miami in Game 1 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs with 27 points (10-17 FG, 5-9 3Pt, 2-2 FT), three rebounds, five assists and one steal in 31 minutes.
Donovan Mitchell returned to the Cavaliers' lineup Sunday from an ankle injury, but Garland still saw slightly elevated usage as he topped 25 points for a third straight appearance. The 25-year-old guard has also drained at least four three-pointers in four of his last eight games, averaging 20.8 points, 7.0 assists, 3.1 boards, 3.1 threes and 1.0 steals over that stretch.
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Cavaliers' Darius Garland: Not listed on injury report
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Garland (toe) is available for Game 1 against Miami on Sunday.
Garland was sidelined for two of the Cavaliers' final three games of the regular season due to a left toe injury, but he's been given the green light to play Sunday. Since the All-Star break, Garland averaged 18.2 points, 6.9 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 steals over 31.7 minutes per game.
