Cavaliers All-Star Suffers Eye Injury: Update On Condition

The Cleveland Cavaliers suffered more than a very tough loss to the Toronto Raptors on opening night, they also lost the services of All-Star point guard Darius Garland who took an inadvertent finger to the eye. 

Garland did not practice on Thursday, suffering from a laceration on the inside of his eyelid, and his eye is swollen shut. Tests showed no structural damage, but head coach JB Bickerstaff said it's "obviously an uncomfortable spot. His head and everything was clear, but he was cut and bleeding pretty bad from the inside of his eyelid."

The Raptors Gary Trent Jr. was going for the steal in the 2nd quarter when his hand accidentally got up into Garland's face. 

The Cleveland guard's status is unknown for their next game on Saturday night vs. the Chicago Bulls, but according to Cavs Insider Chris Fedor, the team is preparing for the game without him. Garland will be re-evaluated in a couple of days. 

Sports injury expert Jeff Stotts reports, however, that from his experience, Garland shouldn't be out too long with this injury. 

Stotts says of the 15 cases he's seen in the NBA of an eyelid laceration, the average absence is just one game, with just one case being at five games. 

Photo: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports