The Cleveland Cavaliers are in a bit of a pickle right now. Despite being the most dominant Eastern Conference team in the regular season and the first round of the Playoffs, they haven’t been able to assert that dominance against the Indiana Pacers. Darius Garland and co have lost the first two games to Tyrese Haliburton and Co.. And now, they need to rebound from 2 straight losses to keep their hopes of a title alive. But a report from an ESPN insider may complicate things for the Cavs.

Why? Well, there’s one element to all this that complicates things — injuries. And the Cavs have a few of those. So let’s see what’s what.

Cleveland Cavaliers Injury Report – will Darius Garland play tonight?

Darius Garland missed the final two games of the Miami Heat series. But given how quickly the Cavs dispatched of them, fans assumed he’d be alright to play in the Pacers series after the rest he’d get. Sadly, that hasn’t transpired as Garland hasn’t been on the court for the Cavs since Game 2 against the Heat.

And Darius might miss yet another Game 3 as he’s listed as QUESTIONABLE on the Cavs’ injury report with a sprain on the left great big toe. This ‘questionable’ tag may be a little misleading, but more on that later. After all, there are others on the Cavs’ injury report.

Like Evan Mobley, for instance. He’s also listed as QUESTIONABLE on the latest injury report. The 2025 DPOY injured his left ankle in the final quarter of Game 1. And after he missed Game 2 because of this injury, his appearance in Game 3 is anyone’s guess.

Finally, De’Andre Hunter rounds out the Cavs’ injury report. He’s also listed as QUESTIONABLE for the Cavs’ upcoming game against Indiana with a sprained right thumb. His appearance will likely be a game-time decision for him and Coach Atkinson.

But that’s that for the Cavs’ injury report. Now, let’s address the elephant in the room — what did the ESPN insider say about Garland?

Brian Windhorst reveals that Darius Garland is “truly hurt”

Brian Windhorst recently spoke on ESPN Cleveland’s ‘5 Good Minutes with Windy’. And on it, he gave us a bleak outlook on Darius Garland’s toe sprain. Cavs fans, you may want to skip this next bit. Or not.

“Darius Garland is truly hurt…I think fans see ‘questionable,’ and they think that the guys are kind of like, ‘well, I feel a little sore today. That is obviously not the case. He is obviously hurt. He has been out several weeks… It’s a terrible break, it stinks that this would happen to the Cavs right now,” said Windy.

Windhorst’s report lines up with what Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson has been saying — and not just once. Since April 23, the night Garland re-aggravated that nagging toe injury, Atkinson’s been using the same phrase like a mantra: “Hoping for the best.”

That hope still hasn’t turned into a green light for Garland. On Thursday, the Cavs held what Atkinson described as more of a “walkthrough” than a full practice before flying to Indiana. Garland, Evan Mobley, and De’Andre Hunter were all present and got some shots up — but nothing intense, nothing live.

“They all touched the ball. They all got some reps up,” Atkinson said, per Cleveland.com. “But we didn’t do anything live… Hoping for the best.” 

The issue with Garland isn’t just about whether he wants to play — it’s about whether he can. The toe is still giving him problems with pain and swelling, which makes any kind of explosive movement nearly impossible. Sharp cuts, push-offs, anything requiring quick bursts — all of that is off the table right now.

So when people see “questionable” next to Garland’s name on the injury report and assume he’s close to returning, that’s a bit misleading. He’s not just being cautious — he’s genuinely hurting. Garland’s been trying to stay in shape AlterG Gravity Treadmill while also doing other non-impact workouts, but there’s only so much you can do when you can’t run normally.

Atkinson put it in plain terms: “He desperately wants to get on the court. It’s just kind of in these situations I just kind of, I step back. … I think he’s probably like I’ve got to get to a certain point where I can compete at a high-intensity playoff level. That type of intensity is tough to simulate. I guess at some point, hopefully, he will get out there and try it. But obviously couldn’t run or anything.”

The decision isn’t all on Garland either. Atkinson said it’s a team call — a conversation between the doctors, the training staff, and the player. “I’ve experienced it with my son, with a sprained ankle in the playoffs,” Kenny shared. “Even for me as a father, it was hard to tell him, no, son, you have to talk with the trainers, you have to talk with the doctor and then only you can make the call.”

Considering everything, the Cavs have no choice but to plan around Garland’s injury for this series. After all, he may be their second-highest scorer behind Donovan Mitchell. Let’s just hope that the others can pick up the slack in Darius Garland’s absence. Or the Pacers may cause the upset of the season and bounce the Cavs in the East’s semi-finals.

All in all, Game 3 will answer a lot of questions. And we can’t wait to find out!