The Cleveland Cavaliers traveled to Toronto to face the Raptors in their season opener on Wednesday night. All of the excitement surrounding the Cavs came to a crashing half in the first half. With just under four minutes remaining in the 2nd quarter, Raptors guard Gary Trent Jr. went reaching for a steal on Darius Garland. Instead, he inadvertently poked him in the eye.
Usually this is something most players can just shake off. However, Garland remained down on the court for a number of minutes, being helped by the medical staff. He was then helped to the locker room.
Since that time, Garland has been ruled out for the rest of the game, according to Cavs beat reporter Chris Fedor.
Prior to his injury, Darius Garland was struggling with his shot. He had just four points on 2-for-8 from the floor and turned the ball over five times in 13 minutes. Garland did however have three assists, two assists and a rebound as the Cavs look to win their first game of the year.
The game was tied at 47 when Garland left the court with the eye injury. Cleveland then closed out the half strong and took a six point lead into halftime.
With Garland out the rest of the game, Cavs newcomer Donovan Mitchell finds himself in a familiar spot. He is likely having to lead the offense. Thus far, Mitchell is showing why the Cavs traded the farm to bring him to Cleveland. He leads the team with 16 points on 7-for-12 shooting.
This is a developing story with more information Garland’s injury to come.
