The Cleveland Cavaliers have been one of the hottest teams in the entire NBA over the course of the last month. After getting Evan Mobley back on the court following his knee surgery, the Cavs are now set to see the return of All-Star guard Darius Garland.
Out since December 14 with a broken jaw, Garland is set to return for the Cavaliers on Wednesday night when they take on the Detroit Pistons, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.
🚨 BREAKING: Darius Garland plans to return to the Cavs lineup on Wednesday vs. the Pistons, per @ShamsCharania.
Garland has been out since December 14 due to a fractured jaw. pic.twitter.com/z8yQtnTAli
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 30, 2024
Garland has missed a total of 19 games due to his jaw injury, which occurred against the Boston Celtics when the 24-year-old guard collided with Kristaps Porzingis. The Cavaliers posted a 15-4 record in his absence. Just about two weeks ago, Garland had the wiring removed from his mouth, providing a sense of optimism that he would be able to return before the start of February.
When he does take the court for the first time in over a month on Wednesday night, Garland is expected to face a minutes restriction, similar to how the Cavs handled Mobley's return and held him to just 21 minutes on Monday night.
In a total of 20 games this season, Garland has averaged 20.7 points, 5.9 assists, and 2.8 rebounds per game while shooting 47.0 percent from the floor and 34.6 percent from three-point range. Next to Donovan Mitchell, Garland helps form one of the best-scoring backcourt duos in the entire league.
Currently 28-16 on the season, the Cavs find themselves with the fifth-best record in the Eastern Conference, just a half-game behind the New York Knicks for the 4-seed. After defeating the Clippers on Monday night, Cleveland is just 2.5 games behind the 2-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the standings.
With Garland returning, the Cavaliers are prepared to compete for one of the top spots in the East during the back half of the 2023-24 season.
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