CLEVELAND, Ohio — Darius Garland isn’t quite ready.
Garland, the two-time All-Star point guard who missed the last two games of Round One due to a sprained big toe on his left foot, will not play in Sunday night’s Eastern Conference semifinals opener.
Even though Garland participated in Friday’s full-contact practice — a positive sign for his potential availability — he was held out of Saturday’s session as a form of workload management and then listed as questionable. Garland did not conduct his usual pregame workout.
With Garland unavailable Sunday, the Cavs will once again move sharpshooter Sam Merrill into the starting lineup — the same quintet they used in the final two games of the Miami series.
Garland originally suffered the injury late in the regular season, causing him to miss a few April games. He re-aggravated it near the end of Game 2 against Miami on April 23 and has been limited ever since.
“Just day-to-day right now,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said. “Toe’s a tough one. There’s pain and all that. It’s just not easy, especially with all the start and stop he does. I think it’s something he’s going to have to deal with probably the rest of the playoffs.”
In two postseason games, Garland is averaging a team-high 24.0 points and 7.0 assists.
