MIAMI (AP) — Darius Garland will get plenty of time off now.
The Cleveland Cavaliers ruled the All-Star guard out of Game 4 of their Eastern Conference first-round series against the Miami Heat on Monday night, the second straight game he missed while dealing with a sprained left great toe.
He wasn't needed. Cleveland won the game 138-83, won the series 4-0 and now won't play again until Saturday at the earliest.
“It's huge. It's huge. Huge," Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said of getting some time off now — for Garland's sake and a slew of other reasons. “We'll see what happens, if it gives us a day or two days. Looking big picture, hopefully we can extend this thing and it gives us another advantage.”
The Cavs will open Round 2 at home sometime against either Indiana or Milwaukee. The Pacers lead the series 3-1, with Game 5 in Indianapolis on Tuesday night.
Garland aggravated the issue late in Game 2. He sat out Cleveland's 121-84 win in Game 3 on Saturday, then tried to do some things on the court before the game Monday before the Cavs made the decision to sit him again.
“I think I've said this: I don't think it's an eight-week thing,” Atkinson said. “I think it's managing pain and the toe's a tough one. You're just constantly hitting it.”
Garland was one of about 10 Cavs players at an optional workout Sunday at the University of Miami. He didn't take part in any scrimmaging during that session.
Garland averaged 24 points and a team-best seven assists per game in the first two games of the series.
For the season, Garland averaged 20.6 points and 6.7 assists for Cleveland. The Cavs are 62-15 when Garland plays this season, including playoffs, and 6-3 when he does not.
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Tim Reynolds, The Associated Press
