Cavs Star Guard To Miss Several Weeks With Fractured Jaw
The Cleveland Cavaliers have been the furthest team from whole for the majority of the season. On Friday afternoon, things got even more difficult.
The Cavs found out that Darius Garland suffered a fractured jaw in Thursday night's road-trip-finale loss to the Boston Celtics. According to the team, the 23-year-old star guard will have a procedure done and be reevaluated in four weeks.
The injury occurred when he drove into the lane and collided with Kristaps Porzingis, who was walling off the paint. Garland laid on the floor for several minutes before rolling over and sitting up, as blood dripped from his mouth.
Garland did return to the game and played through what we now know is a broken jaw, helping Cleveland in its rally after Caris LeVert and Donovan Mitchell cut into Boston's double-digit advantage. Of course, the wine-and-gold came up short ultimately because it couldn't finish enough defensive possessions with rebounds.
This latest blow to the Cavs is par for the course this season. They've had all but two players on the roster miss at least one game, and there have been stretches of hamstring and knee injuries affecting the likes of Garland, Mitchell, LeVert and, most recently, Evan Mobley, who has missed four straight games. Jarrett Allen even was out for the first week of the season with a bruised ankle.
Ironically, the only Cleveland players who haven't missed a single minute action are the new additions: Max Strus and Georges Niang.
Dec 14, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) drives the ball against Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) in the first quarter at TD Garden.
David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Garland had been finding a solid rhythm in the backcourt, cutting down his turnovers and attacking on drives to open up shots for his teammates. In six December games, he's averaging 24.5 points and 5.8 assists per contest with just 14 miscues committed.
The Cavs losing their engine in the midst of a skid in mid-December is the last thing they needed. Mitchell and LeVert will have their hands full, as well as Craig Porter Jr. and Sam Merrill, to fill the void.
