Ahead of a win or go home play-in game against the Atlanta Hawks, the Cleveland Cavaliers are potentially getting an important player back from injury.
According to the team’s latest injury report, center Jarrett Allen is listed as questionable for the Friday’s game and will attempt to play. He has not played since fractured a finger on his left hand against against the Toronto Raptors on March 6. Since then, the Cavs have gone 7-12, including Tuesday’s play-in game loss to the Brooklyn Nets, without Allen. Over that stretch, they’ve had the league’s 23rd ranked defense, per Cleaning The Glass — down from their sixth-ranked defense for the entire year.
During the team’s media availability on Thursday — which occurred before the injury report was released — Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said that Allen was a full participant in the team’s walkthrough for Friday’s game.
“We have not ruled anybody out,” Bickerstaff said. “But, we haven’t ruled him in either.”
Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Allen considers himself ’50-50′ to play and that the pain in his hand is still significant, while Shams Charania notes he will “attempt” to give it a go, but it’s not a guarantee he steps on the floor.
Cleveland’s All-Star center Jarrett Allen considers himself “50-50” on returning to the lineup vs. Atlanta on Friday in Play-In Tournament, sources tell ESPN. Pain is still significant in his fractured finger, but he remains determined to try and help Cavs secure the 8th seed.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 14, 2022
Cavaliers All-Star Jarrett Allen will attempt to play in Play-In Tournament game vs. Hawks on Friday — he has been listed questionable on injury report. Allen has been out since March 6 due to fractured finger.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 14, 2022
If Allen can play and be close to what he was before it got hurt, it would be a massive deal for the Cavs. Stout defense has been the defining characteristic this season and it just hasn’t been the same without Allen. It could particularly matter in slowing down Hawks center Clint Capela, who had 15 points and 17 rebounds in Atlanta’s win on Wednesday over the Charlotte Hornets.
