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The Cleveland Cavaliers have opened their Eastern Conference semifinals series against the Indiana Pacers, taking the court for Game 1 on Sunday night.
However, the Cavs once again did so without star guard Darius Garland, who is dealing with a toe injury.
Garland missed the final two games of the Cavaliers' first-round sweep of the Miami Heat, but there was hope that some time off would allow him to get healthy enough for the start of their series against the Pacers.
With Garland still nursing this worrisome ailment, here's all the information that you need to know.
MORE: Darius Garland injury threatens to ruin season unless return timeline speeds up
What is Darius Garland's injury?
Garland is dealing with a left toe sprain that he suffered in Game 2 of Cleveland's first-round series against Miami. While he missed Games 3 and 4 of that series, it didn't matter, as the Cavaliers recorded a pair of massive blowouts to send the Heat home for the offseason.
As the competition gets stiffer, though, the Cavaliers will need Garland healthy if they intend on achieving their goal of winning the NBA Finals. That makes his latest absence concerning, as Garland could not return to action, despite Cleveland not having played a game since Monday, April 28.
MORE: Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton was never overrated, and he showed the Cavs what's up in Game 1
How long will Darius Garland be out?
Garland is listed as questionable for Game 2.
The initial hope was that Garland would return for Game 1 against Indiana, but that obviously didn't happen.
The fact that Garland was a game-time decision is somewhat encouraging, but he cannot seem to do enough to get himself cleared to take the court for an actual game.
For now, Garland remains listed as day-to-day with this toe injury, but Jared Greenberg of NBA TV reported that there is "significant concern" regarding this ailment. Greenberg would go on to say that if this were the regular season, Garland would have been "shut down for at least a week to two weeks."
There is "significant concern" regarding Darius Garland's toe pic.twitter.com/PH8rFAtekK
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) May 4, 2025Cavaliers upcoming schedule
Garland's next shot to get back on the court will come in Game 2, which is scheduled for Tuesday, May 6 at 7 p.m. ET.
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