MIAMI — Game 3 was going to be a stiff challenge already, with the Cavs’ best-of-seven playoff series shifting to South Beach — a place where they haven’t won much the last decade.

It just got more difficult.

All-Star point guard Darius Garland will not play because of a sprained big toe on his left foot — the same injury that plagued him toward the end of the regular season and one he re-aggravated in the final minutes of Wednesday’s 121-112 Game 2 triumph at Rocket Arena while attempting to contest a corner 3-pointer.

“We were even considering taking him out,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said when discussing the injury. “But I looked at him and he said, ‘I’m good.’ He stayed in the game. But we were at the point, where do we take him out? I know a lot of us probably played basketball, having a big toe, that’s not a fun one to deal with just from a pain perspective. It’s unfortunate.”

Atkinson also said Garland was planning to test the injury prior to tipoff Saturday afternoon. But Garland wasn’t on the floor during his usual pregame warmup time — a troubling sign for his availability.

Garland, Cleveland’s second-leading scorer in the playoffs thus far, will be replaced by sharpshooter Sam Merrill in Saturday’s starting lineup.

In two first-round games against Miami, Garland is averaging 24.0 points and 7.0 assists.