Report: Cavs lose Mobley, Garland for several weeks due to injuries
Cleveland Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley is undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery and is expected to be out for six-to-eight weeks, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
The procedure will reportedly remove a loose body from Mobley's left knee.
At the same time, Cavs guard Darius Garland is expected to miss multiple weeks with a fractured jaw, sources told The Athletic's Shams Charania.
Garland collided with Boston Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis early in the third quarter of Cleveland's 116-107 loss on Thursday. He remained on the court holding his face for several moments.
Darius Garland left the game after being hit in the face. He has returned to the bench area. #LetEmKnow | @cavs pic.twitter.com/yW1jQhboEy
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) December 15, 2023
Garland left the game temporarily but returned with 5:10 remaining in the third frame and then played the rest of the contest.
Mobley has missed the team's last four contests after appearing in all 21 games beforehand, registering 16 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.7 blocks per game.
Garland, 23, is averaging 20.7 points, 5.9 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.6 steals across 20 appearances in his fifth season. He is second to Donovan Mitchell (27.6) in team scoring but ranks first in assists.
Garland missed four straight games following the Cavaliers' season opener with a hamstring injury. The team went 1-3 in that span. He also missed a Nov. 15 contest against the Portland Trail Blazers with a neck strain, though Cleveland won 109-95.
Cleveland dropped to 13-12 on the year after suffering its third straight defeat in Thursday's game, leaving the team ninth in the East. The Cavaliers are above only the 10-14 Toronto Raptors among Eastern Conference teams currently occupying a playoff spot.