Cavaliers guard Darius Garland plans to return to action on Wednesday from the jaw injury that has sidelined him since Dec. 14, league sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic. Cleveland will host the Pistons on Wednesday night.
Garland fractured his jaw in a collision with Kristaps Porzingis and was on an all-liquid diet with his jaw wired shut for several weeks as he recovered. Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com said earlier this month that the star guard was aiming to return before the end of January and was the first to report that Wednesday was a target date.
Fedor wrote on Monday that “no decisions have been made and there are a few conversations that must take place first” before Garland is cleared to play on Wednesday, but Charania’s reporting suggests the 24-year-old is on track to play vs. Detroit as long as there are no setbacks.
It’s great news for the Cavaliers, who haven’t just been treading water since losing Garland and Evan Mobley to major injuries in mid-December — they’ve been thriving, putting up a 14-4 record without those two starters and then winning Mobley’s first game back on Monday vs. the Clippers.
After an up-and-down start to the season, the Cavs are now 28-16, putting them just a half-game back of the 29-16 Sixers for No. 3 in the East. With Mobley back in action and Garland set to return this week, the club is well-positioned to make a push for a top playoff seed in the second half.
Before his injury, Garland was averaging 20.7 points, 5.9 assists and 1.6 steals in 34.0 minutes per night across 20 appearances (all starts). He was also shooting a career-best 47.0% from the floor.
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