The Cleveland Cavaliers suffered a 135-126 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night, but the team may be dealing with a more important loss going forward. According to a report, there is fear that Darius Garland could miss time after suffering a thumb injury.
He suffered the injury early in the final frame of Thursday’s matchup. Though he stayed in the game for the next two possessions, he was eventually subbed out by Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
Garland ultimately re-entered the contest, but he was clearly impacted by the injury. He didn’t score a single point after re-entering the game and even missed a pair of free-throw attempts with his team down seven points with 40 seconds left on the clock.
With the game in the books, the team is now trying to figure out whether or not its All-Star guard will have to sit out some games to heal.
“While there was no official diagnosis and further examination is expected, the Cavs left Indiana concerned about a potential absence, sources tell cleveland.com,” Chris Fedor wrote. “Now the team that’s in the midst of a three-game losing streak, has already been forced to use 16 different starting lineups in the first 36 games and may not have enough healthy bodies to practice Friday, will hold its breath and hope Garland avoided another significant injury.”
Despite the recent string of losses, the Cavs remain in the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference. Still, losing Garland for any substantial period of time could dramatically impact the Cavs’ success rate and place in the standings.
The Philadelphia 76ers are currently just a half-game back from the Cavs in the East.
Perhaps the one bit of good news for the Cavs is that veteran point guard Ricky Rubio appears to be very close to his return from the ACL injury he suffered last season.
Though Rubio will likely be on a minutes restriction upon his return to the lineup, he would definitely help the Cavs overcome a potential Garland absence as he rests his thumb.
Still, the Cavs hope that Garland will be good to go for its upcoming string of games.
On the season, the one-time All-Star is averaging 21.3 points, 7.8 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game. He’s shooting 45.0 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from deep.
The Cavs have Friday off, but they will then face the Chicago Bulls on Saturday evening. Surely, the team will have its answers regarding Garland’s thumb before tipoff of that upcoming contest.
