Is Darius Garland Playing Tonight? (Injury Update, Betting Impact for Cavs vs. Pacers)

The latest injury update for Cleveland Cavaliers star guard Darius Garland on Thursday against the Indiana Pacers.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland. / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers have ruled out All-Star guard Darius Garland on Thursday night against the Indiana Pacers due to a toe injury.

Garland is coming off a big game in Tuesday's win over the Chicago Bulls, and the Cavs are likely just resting their starting point guard on the front end of a back-to-back. Cleveland is locked into the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, and it is sitting Garland, Evan Mobley, Donovan Mitchell and Max Strus tonight.

As a result, oddsmakers at DraftKings have set the Pacers as 9.5-point road favorites in this game. I shared in my NBA Best Bets column -- Peter's Points -- earlier today why the Pacers are worth a bet tonight:

The Cavs are sitting several players on Thursday, including starters Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Max Sturs. Plus, Jarrett Allen has been on a minutes limit as of late. 

So, we’re essentially getting the Cavs’ bench (which is good) as a nine-point dog against the Pacers, who still have a shot at the No. 3 seed in the East. I’m not buying it.

Indiana should roll in this game, as it has won five in a row and eight of its last 10 to surge into the No. 4 seed and potentially overtake the Knicks for the No. 3 spot. 

Tyrese Haliburton is playing at an All-Star level again, and the Pacers rank third in the NBA in net rating over their last 10 games.

I can’t trust the Cavs here with so many key players sitting out.

Cavs fans shouldn't be too worried about Garland, as Cleveland has been resting players for the last few weeks in preparation for the playoffs. Garland's next chance to play will come on Friday against the New York Knicks.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.

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