Darius Garland, Collin Sexton to miss Cleveland Cavaliers’ preseason game vs. Chicago, sources say; Lauri Markkanen to start at small forward

Cleveland Cavaliers' Darius Garland (10) will not play Sunday night.
By

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers will not have their starting backcourt for Sunday night’s preseason game against the Chicago Bulls, leading to some significant lineup shuffling.

Sources tell cleveland.com that point guard Darius Garland will miss the game because of an illness not related to COVID-19 and Collin Sexton is being held out as a precaution after suffering a shoulder injury during Friday’s 109-100 loss to the Indiana Pacers. With Garland and Sexton out, Ricky Rubio and Lauri Markkanen will temporarily move into the starting lineup, sources say. Markkanen is going to start at small forward while Isaac Okoro, the usual 3 who has looked out of sorts this preseason, shifts to shooting guard.

Rubio, Okoro and Markkanen will join Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, creating a jumbo-sized look with each starter at least 6-foot-4. It also allows Markkanen to start against his old team.

During Friday’s matchup, coach J.B. Bickerstaff unveiled a variation of this quintet. He’s intrigued with these unique size-skill lineups and the possibility of using Markkanen at small forward, allowing Bickerstaff to find enough minutes for all of his bigs.

This will be the second exhibition between the Cavs and Bulls. Chicago crushed Cleveland, 131-95, in the preseason opener Tuesday.

Following Sunday’s game, the Cavs will get almost a full week of practice before wrapping up the preseason in Indiana on Oct. 15. The regular season opener is Oct. 20.

-

Get the latest Cavs merchandise: Here’s where you can order Cleveland Cavaliers gear online, including jerseys, shirts, hats, 2016 NBA Champions products and much more.

More Cavaliers coverage

Cavaliers earn first preseason win over Atlanta, 99-96

Mobley already showing impact at both ends of the court

18 ex-NBA players, including former Cavs, charged in $4M health care fraud scheme

Cavaliers hoping to learn from preseason dud: Fedor’s Observations

Fubo Gaming ink multi-year partnership with team

Cavaliers start slow, look disjointed in 131-95 rout by Bulls

Cavaliers plan 10-man rotation, use preseason to find best combinations

Mobley looking to have fun in preseason opener

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

X

Opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information

If you opt out, we won’t sell or share your personal information to inform the ads you see. You may still see interest-based ads if your information is sold or shared by other companies or was sold or shared previously.