The Cleveland Cavaliers already face an uphill battle in their quest to beat the Boston Celtics and earn a berth in the Eastern Conference Finals, as the team faces a 2-1 hole in their series against the favorites to lift the Larry O’Brien trophy. That task will get a little more difficult on Monday night, as star guard Donovan Mitchell will not be able to play in Game 4.
Mitchell was listed as questionable for much of the day on Monday, and eventually, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that the All-Star will not be able to play due to a calf injury that flared up towards the end of Game 3, according to Cavaliers coach JB Bickerstaff.
ESPN Sources: Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell — who’s averaging nearly 30 points in playoffs — will miss Game 4 vs. the Boston Celtics tonight with a left calf strain. Huge loss for Cavs in a telltale home game down 2-1 in series. pic.twitter.com/fCaUymh6i0
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 13, 2024
#Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said that Donovan Mitchell’s calf started acting up in the fourth quarter of Game 3 and it started irritating him.
— Evan Dammarell (@AmNotEvan) May 13, 2024
An injury to Mitchell is the worst-case scenario for the Cavs, as he’s been the brightest spot on the roster by some margin during the playoffs. He’s averaging 29.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.3 steals in 38.2 minutes per game while shooting 47.6 percent from the field and 35.4 percent from three. He’s upped his scoring to 31.7 points per game during the three matchups with the Celtics so far.
Cleveland is already going into the game without Jarrett Allen, who has not played since he suffered a rib injury in Game 4 of the team’s first round series against the Orlando Magic.
