Cavaliers’ Darius Garland ‘was super scared’ after suffering eye injury

Darius Garland suffered a laceration on the inside of his left eyelid after getting poked in the eye last month by Gary Trent Jr. in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 108-105 loss against the Toronto Raptors.

Following Cleveland’s 114-113 overtime win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, the fourth-year player revealed his first thoughts on his injury after it happened.

According to some NBA betting sites, the Cavaliers possess the 12th-best odds to win the championship in 2023. A few sportsbooks might increase their title odds now that Garland is back.

#Cavs Darius Garland played his first game in two weeks last night because of an eye injury he initially feared would require surgery. After the game, he shared details of that night in Toronto for the first time

“I was super scared” https://t.co/Acf5M1GToZ

— Chris Fedor (@ChrisFedor) November 3, 2022

“I was super scared,” Garland told Chris Fedor of Cleveland Plain Dealer. “I felt blood coming out of my eye. That’s when I got really nervous. I was ready for surgery in Toronto, and I was expecting that.

I was expecting stitches and being out a couple months. But by the grace of God, I’m here with two eyes now and I’m back and I’m healthy.”

Cavaliers guard Darius Garland feared missing a couple of months because of eye injury 

After the Cavaliers lost to the Raptors, Trent sent Garland an apologetic text message. “We’re in the same agency, so we talk a lot,” Garland said. “Told me he was sorry; it was his bad. It was a basketball play. It happens with the game. Just comes with it.”

Garland’s injury occurred with 3:56 left in the second quarter. The All-Star guard remained face down on the court for several minutes before walking off to the locker room with the medical staff.

He ended his season debut with 4 points, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block in 14 minutes played.

In the Cavaliers’ overtime win against the Celtics, Garland’s first game back, the guard finished his performance with 29 points, 5 rebounds, 12 assists, and 3 steals in 43 minutes. This was his first double-double of the 2022-23 season.

Of course, the Cavaliers’ season-opening loss to Toronto is their only loss to date. They’re now on a six-game win streak. On Friday, Cleveland will travel to Little Caesars Arena to take on the Detroit Pistons at 7 p.m. ET.