The Cleveland Cavaliers will host the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night. Darius Garland is listed as out on the injury report and will miss his third straight game due to his left great toe contusion and injury management. Jaylon Tyson will also be out for his third consecutive contest because of a concussion. Here's everything we know about Darius Garland's injury and his playing status vs. the Grizzlies.
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Darius Garland injury status vs. Grizzlies
When it comes to the question of if Darius Garland is playing tonight vs. the Grizzlies, the answer is no.
Garland will be watching from the sidelines again and hasn't played since Monday night, when he suffered a left great toe contusion after landing on it awkwardly and drawing a foul on Miami Heat forward Nikola Jokic. He tried to play through it in the second half, but had to commit a personal foul on purpose to come out of the game in pain midway through the third quarter.
Following the game, the Cavs held out hope that the setback would be minor. Additional evaluation on Tuesday showed that Garland only suffered a bruise. Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson was relieved with the findings after a “freak collision.”
“He experienced a little bit of stiffness, but it wasn't grave or anything like that,” Atkinson said before Wednesday's rematch in Miami. “This is not an easy injury to come back from. We see it in the NFL; follow all the quarterbacks who've had a similar injury. I think everybody thinks with this one, you can just kind of take off like you're coming back from an ankle sprain. This is different.
“I've read up a lot about it. I've been educated by our group. So we've got to have patience, and DG's got to have patience, right? You're not gonna all of a sudden be All-Star DG. So he understands that. It's just that he's a competitor, wants to do great for the team. I'm glad it wasn't anything really concerning.”
Atkinson revealed on Thursday that Garland got some shots up on the court, and the team is labeling his status as day-to-day.
Cavs injury report
Darius Garland: OUT (left great toe/injury management)
Jaylon Tyson: OUT (concussion)
Max Strus: OUT (left foot surgery)
Chris Livingston: OUT (two-way contract G League assignment)
Grizzlies injury report
Cedric Coward: DOUBTFUL (right foot soreness)
Zach Edey: QUESTIONABLE (left ankle surgery recovery)
Olivier Maxence-Prosper: QUESTIONABLE (left quad contusion)
Brandon Clarke: OUT (right knee surgery recovery)
Scottie Pippen Jr.: OUT (left great toe surgery recovery)
Ty Jerome: OUT (right calf strain)
Javon Small: OUT (left turf toe)
