Darius Garland’s Eye Swollen Shut; Return to Cavs This Weekend in Doubt

Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland did not practice Thursday as his left eye was swollen shut, coach J.B. Bickerstaff said, via Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

Garland suffered the injury in the second quarter of the Cavs’ season-opening loss to the Raptors. While the rest of the Cavs practiced in Toronto, Garland remained in his hotel room, Bickerstaff said, via Fedor.

Garland’s status for Saturday’s game at Chicago still appears to be up in the air, but the Cavs are preparing as if he won’t play, Fedor reported. That could mean that Garland is out for Sunday’s home-opener vs. the Wizards, too.

Garland suffered the injury in the first half when Raptors guard Gary Trent Jr. swiped to steal an inbounds pass, and accidentally got Garland’s eye instead.

Without Garland, the Cavs were unable to hold on to their lead, as the Raptors went on a 13-2 burst late in the fourth quarter in escaping with a 108-105 win. Garland finished the night by playing just 13 minutes and scoring four points.

“It’s tough to see him go down like that in a freak accident,” guard Donovan Mitchell said, via Fedor. “That’s tough. Don’t know the full extent. Don’t have news for y’all. But he’s a fighter and he’s a competitor and he’s going to be back strong. The one thing about this group is we fought and competed. When one man goes down, the next guy is stepping up. I’m proud of the way this group responded.”

Added Bickerstaff, “His head and everything was clear. But he was cut and bleeding pretty bad from the inside of his eyelid.”

For more on the Cavs’ opener, check out the latest Dribbles right here.