The Cleveland Cavaliers will visit the Toronto Raptors on Monday night after finishing their longest homestand of the season. Darius Garland is listed on the injury report, and several other Cavs will also be unavailable for the wine-and-gold's third matchup against Toronto. Here's everything we know about Darius Garland's playing status vs. the Raptors.
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV. Get Access | Save $30)
Darius Garland's injury status vs. Raptors
When it comes to the question of if Darius Garland is playing tonight vs. the Raptors, the answer is no.
Garland is coming off Sunday's win over the Los Angeles Clippers, where he scored eight points, dished out eight assists, and pulled down a rebound in 29 minutes. He returned on Friday night against the Indiana Pacers with a 20-point, seven-assist output in 27 minutes of action. Before the game, Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson detailed how Cleveland will handle Garland's injury situation, comparing it to turf toe injuries seen in football.
“It's not linear. There'll be some little setbacks, and we're just going to have to deal with that,” Atkinson said. “And luckily, it hasn't been anything like grave. Really, just certain plays that bother him, and we're going to have to help him through that. I told him [Sunday] we're going to have to really communicate in terms of how he's feeling — not only toe, but conditioning-wise. So, it's a little bit tricky.
“We're very conservative in terms of how we deal with injuries and getting guys back to kind of return to performance. But I see the Brock Purdy and the Joe Burrow [cases]. I’m just like, man, let's just keep progressing bit by bit. I'm just saying there's going to be some bumps along the way.”
Like many games early in the season, the Cavs will be missing a significant number of players. In addition to Garland, De'Andre Hunter, Jarrett Allen, Sam Merrill, and Craig Porter Jr. won't play; Merrill will have been out for four straight games, and Allen will have missed three consecutive. Porter will miss his second straight, and Dean Wade is listed as questionable due to a hyperextended right knee.
Cleveland will lean heavily on Donovan Mitchell's MVP-like heroics and Evan Mobley, who should be seeking revenge on Scottie Barnes for their last meeting.
“We're definitely going to go into there shorthanded [Monday] night, but we're going to have Donovan and Evan, so that gives us a shot,” Atkinson said postgame on Sunday evening. “Our bench will have to play great again.”
Cavs injury report
Darius Garland: OUT (left great toe injury management)
De'Andre Hunter: OUT (rest)
Jarrett Allen: OUT (right third finger strain)
Sam Merrill: OUT (right hand sprain)
Craig Porter Jr.: OUT (left hamstring strain)
Max Strus: OUT (left foot surgery)
Dean Wade: QUESTIONABLE (right knee hyperextension)
Raptors injury report
RJ Barrett: OUT (right knee sprain)
