CLEVELAND (AP) — A disappointing start to the Cavaliers’ season got much worse on Friday.
Cleveland will be without stars Darius Garland and Evan Mobley for an extended period due to injuries, a damaging blow to a team that has been scuffling and will now be short two of its top players.
Garland is expected to miss at least one month with a broken jaw sustained on Thursday night while Mobley could be out two months after undergoing knee surgery.
The Cavs have hovered around .500 for much of the season while dealing with numerous injuries. Cleveland, which got bounced in the first round of the playoffs last season by the New York Knicks, has dropped three straight games and is currently 13-12 and ninth in the Eastern Conference.
Without Garland and Mobley, the Cavs will be missing 36 points per game, their starting point guard and in Mobley, their best defensive player. They host the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.
Garland broke his jaw when he collided with Boston’s Kristaps Porzingis during the third quarter of Cleveland’s 116-107 loss to the Celtics on Thursday. The team said a CT scan taken Friday at the Cleveland Clinic confirmed the fracture.
Mobley has missed the past four games due to his knee. After rest didn’t alleviate the pain in Mobley’s knee, he’s opting to have the arthroscopic procedure on Monday to “remove a loose body,” the team said.
Garland got hurt on a drive when he smashed into the 7-foot-2 Porzingis. Garland immediately grabbed the right side of his face and crumpled to the floor. He went to the locker room in obvious pain. He later returned and finished with 19 points in 36 minutes.
The 23-year-old Garland is in his fifth season with the Cavs and has developed into one of the NBA’s best young guards.
The 6-foot-11 Mobley is averaging 16 points and 10.5 rebounds in his third season as a pro. The 22-year-old was the third overall pick in the 2021 draft.
The injuries will force Cleveland coach J.B. Bickertstaff to be creative with his lineups. He’s still got All-Star Donovan Mitchell, who will be counted on to carry even more of the scoring load.
The Cavs don’t have much depth at point guard. Craig Porter Jr. has been a nice surprise off the bench, but Cleveland lacks a proven veteran as Ricky Rubio has been away from the team all season to focus on his mental health.
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