The Cleveland Cavaliers anticipated Darius Garland to play a big role versus the Philadelphia 76ers next to Donovan Mitchell.
But Garland exited early in the road contest on Wednesday. Garland slid for a loose basketball for the potential rebound, then grimaced in pain. He exited with a right foot injury while his Cavs were up by 13. Cleveland controlled the tempo for most of the night before his injury. Then inflated the lead to 23 with under 7:45 left in the fourth quarter.
Darius Garland will not return to Cavs-Sixers tonight after injuring his right foot while trying to scrap for a loose ball:pic.twitter.com/eaAzl3muz6
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 15, 2026
Was it same bad foot Cavaliers' Darius Garland injured vs. 76ers?
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) talks with Cavaliers center Evan Mobley (4) and Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) during a stoppage in play against the Washington Wizards in the second half at Capital One Arena.
Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
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Against the 76ers, Garland exploded scoring-wise — dropping 20 points before the ailment. And he delivered his scoring spree in 23 minutes.
Garland banked three baskets behind the arc while hitting eight of his 13 field goals. He was even tied for the lead in assists momentarily with seven while pulling down three rebounds.
But did Garland reaggravate his bad foot?
Fortunately, this new injury wasn't to his surgically repaired foot, which was his left. He battled that ailment throughout December with the Cavs. But he told reporters after a 119-111 victory over the Charlotte Hornets, “I love being out there with my teammates, enjoying their success,” while overcoming his bum foot.
The 25-year-old hands the Cavs a reliable scorer when on the floor. He walked into Philly averaging 17.6 points per game. But has surpassed the 20-points-per-game mark in three seasons since his arrival in Cleveland from Vanderbilt. He's labeled one of the league's brightest young stars at just 25 years of age.