It was a scary moment for the Cleveland Cavaliers when Darius Garland fell to the floor and hit his head on the court in the first half against the Los Angeles Lakers. Soon after, he left the floor and headed back to the locker room to be evaluated by Cleveland's medical staff. He was eventually considered doubtful to return when he was diagnosed with a neck strain.

Garland wasn't on the floor in the second half for the Cavs, with Isaac Okoro starting in his place to open up the final 24 minutes of action against the Lakers. In 14 minutes against Los Angeles, Garland had six points on 2-of-6 shooting and three assists.

Cavs' Darius Garland questionable vs. Raptors

Darius Garland

Postgame, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said that Garland had been evaluated and seemed fine at the moment. But Bickerstaff did stress that the team would evaluate Garland the day after, before the team hosts the Toronto Raptors, to ensure that it will be safe for Garland to play. Well, it appears things are trending upward for Garland's chances, considering that the All-Star guard is listed as questionable heading into Cleveland's matchup against Toronto.

Since Garland missed a game on the Cavs' West Coast road trip against the Portland Trail Blazers after suffering the same injury against the Sacramento Kings and was questionable every game after, he should be a game-time decision against the Raptors. Granted, Garland only missed one game against Portland before returning to play for Cleveland against the Detroit Pistons. But considering how mediocre Toronto has been to start the season, the Cavs could afford to let Garland and his neck rest for an extra day before throwing him back into the fire against the Atlanta Hawks.

The decision to sit Garland is bit easier since the only players not available for Cleveland are Emoni Bates (G League assignment), Isaiah Mobley (G League assignment), Dean Wade (ankle), Ty Jerome (ankle) and Ricky Rubio (personal). While Jerome hasn't played since the Cavs' home-opening loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder and Wade has missed three games in a row, neither Rubio's absence nor two of Cleveland's two-way players resting is much of a surprise.

The Cavs are giving Rubio as much time as possible to prioritize and focus on his mental well-being. Meanwhile, Bates and Mobley have been spending time with the Cleveland Charge, Cleveland's NBA G League affiliate, getting on-court reps they normally wouldn't get with the main club.

So, with everyone else available, including Donovan Mitchell, who was dealing with a cramp in his nagging hamstring in the closing moments against the Lakers. Mitchell, Max Strus, Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley and Caris LeVert should be more than enough to take care of a Toronto team that's 3-4 on the road. While the Raptors won't be an easy outing for a Cavs team that struggles to stay consistently healthy, there's enough firepower on either end of the floor to contain Toronto.

Besides, the battle between draft classmates in Cleveland's Evan Mobley and Toronto's Scottie Barnes will be one to keep an eye on and something Garland could enjoy while watching on the bench.

If Garland can go, it'll be a huge shot in the arm offensively for Cleveland and give the presence and pace they were lacking when he was missing in action against Los Angeles. Again, he'll likely be a game-time decision, so no one will know Garland's availability against the Raptors until a few minutes before the game.