CLEVELAND (AP) 鈥� Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland and New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram were among 14 players ruled out with injuries for the teams鈥� game on Wednesday night.
Garland (left groin soreness) had started the first 16 contests for Cleveland, which has the best record in the NBA at 15-1. The Cavaliers鈥� franchise-record winning streak with Garland missing 18 of 21 field-goal attempts.
Cleveland also is without rotation players Caris LeVert (left knee inflammation), Isaac Okoro (left ankle strain), Sam Merrill (left ankle soreness), Dean Wade (left ankle sprain) and Max Strus (right ankle sprain).
鈥淚t tests our depth, but personally, I like games like this because it also tests your roster,鈥� Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. 鈥淲ith 17 games in 29 days and the league playing faster, I don鈥檛 know how these guys do it.鈥�
Ingram (bilateral ankle sprain), who is averaging a team-high 23.2 points, also missed his first game of the season after logging 33 minutes Tuesday night in a .
New Orleans鈥� top six scorers were unavailable in Cleveland, including three other starters in Zion Williamson (left hamstring strain), CJ McCollum (right adductor strain) and Trey Murphy III (right hamstring).
鈥淲e believe Brandon will be fine, but given the circumstances and the minutes he played last night, this was a decision we came to,鈥� Pelicans coach Willie Green said. 鈥淭his is an opportunity for guys who usually wouldn鈥檛 be on the floor to get some time.鈥�
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AP NBA:
Brian Dulik, The Associated Press
