Darius Garland Due Back For the Cavaliers Wednesday

Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Darius Garland was "extremely close" to returning prior to the team's 118-108 win over the Clippers on Monday night.

He wasn't lying.

Garland is officially expected to make his return to the floor on Wednesday night against the Pistons, after recovering from a broken jaw suffered back in December. Cleveland.com first reported that Garland's return was likely this week. Sham Charania of The Athletic declared the news official on Tuesday.

Garland has been absent from the Cavaliers lineup since December 15, when news broke that he'd miss up to six weeks with a fractured jaw. The ailment required the star point guard to spend four weeks with his mouth wired shut.

Cleveland has also been without forward Evan Mobley since that same date after he had a procedure done on his knee and was slated to miss 6-8 weeks. Mobley, however, wound up beating Garland back to the floor after a swift rehab process and made his first appearance since December 6, against Los Angeles. In a winning effort, Mobley nearly produced a double-double, putting up 10 points and nine boards.

In the absence of Mobley and Garland, the wine and gold went 14-4, while shooting the second most threes per game over that span. They've also been the league's top defensive team during that same stretch. Center Jarrett Allen has also thrived on both ends, posting a franchise record 15 straight double-doubles, including a 20-point, 17-rebound effort in Monday's win.

Suddenly, Cleveland is getting back to full strength all at once now, with Garland set to make up a long-awaited return of his own. The Pistons and Cavs tip-off around 7 p.m. on Wednesday at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.