One of Darius Garland’s best seasons is in danger of ending earlier than anticipated.

The same holds true for his Cleveland Cavaliers, who will try to dig out of a 2-0 deficit on Friday in their best-of-seven second-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers.

Garland, a Brentwood Academy alum who played five games for Vanderbilt in 2018 before being injured, was a big reason the Cavaliers (64-18) produced the franchise’s most wins since the 2008-09 season, claiming the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 playoff seed as well.

A six-year veteran and 2019 first-round pick, Garland averaged 20.6 points per game during the regular season, along with 6.7 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals. The point guard’s 47.2 overall field-goal percentage was a career high.

But Garland has missed the Cavs’ last four playoff contests because of a sprained left big toe, an injury he originally suffered during the regular season and then aggravated in Game 2 of Cleveland’s four-game sweep of Miami in the opening playoff round.

The Cavaliers were able to polish off the Heat without Garland, but have run into trouble against the Pacers at home. They lost the first game of the series 121-112 and fell 120-119 in Game 2 when Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton made a three-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining.

Garland was one of three key Cavs to sit out Game 2, as Evan Mobley (sprained left ankle) and De’Andre Hunter (sprained right shooting thumb) missed the contest as well. Those three players averaged a combined 53.4 points per game during the regular season.

All three players are listed as questionable for Friday’s Game 3, but at least one NBA reporter — ESPN’s Brian Windhorst — seemed to cast doubt on Garland’s availability.

“Darius Garland is truly hurt,” Windhorst said, via SI.com.

“[He] had this injury at the end of the regular season. They gave him a couple of days off. They brought him back for the playoffs and he played, because what you’re supposed to do is play in the playoffs, and then he was re-injured. They didn’t hold him out because they were super conservative with the injury. He played, and he was re-injured, and the injury is worse.”

As are the Cavaliers’ chances of playing up to their top seeding.