Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland will not play on Wednesday night at home against the Milwaukee Bucks because of a jaw injury, but he has been cleared for on-court activities. Garland has not played since December 14 against the Boston Celtics.
Darius Garland in 20 games played this season for the Cleveland Cavaliers is averaging 20.7 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 5.9 APG, 0.2 BPG, and 1.6 SPG. Cleveland is someway somehow currently the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 23-15 record this year and has played better since the absence of Garland and also Evan Mobley.
The Milwaukee Bucks enter this matchup with a 28-12 record and the number two seed in the Eastern Conference. Milwaukee is one of the best teams in the NBA this season.
Even with Garland being cleared, he is still not projected to be back for Cleveland for at least another two weeks. Craig Porter Jr. was starting in some games for him this season and he is not projected to start on Wednesday against Milwaukee. Donovan Mitchell is projected to be the starting point guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Milwaukee Bucks.
When the Cleveland Cavaliers are Fully Healthy With Darius Garland and Even Mobley They May Be Challengers to the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference
Garland and Movley have been out around the same time with injuries and Cleveland was floating around the 8, 9, and 10 spots in the east when they got injured. It felt as if they were going to go into a downward spiral, but the complete opposite has happened.
Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff deserves credit for the turnaround with the Cavaliers this season. They were the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference a season ago and they have their sights on it once again. Cleveland could be big-time challengers to the Milwaukee Bucks along with the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers if things eventually click for them when everyone is back.
Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Donovan Mitchell, and Isaac Okoro would be the starting five. Max Strus, Dean Wade, and Caris LeVert would be some of the key players off the bench for the Cavaliers. Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo need to have big games on Wednesday night to keep Cleveland off balance.
