Cavaliers Face Dire Situation with Donovan Mitchell Injury Looming After Crushing Loss to Pacers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are in serious trouble.
Not only did they get blown out by the Pacers, who now hold a commanding 3-1 lead in their Eastern Conference Semifinal series, but Donovan Mitchell also left the game at halftime due to an injury and didn’t return.
“He’ll get an MRI tomorrow,” said Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson. “I mean, no idea [about his status]. Obviously, he couldn’t go in the second half, so we’ll see what the MRI says.”
The injury to Mitchell came in an unexpected manner. It appeared to occur while he was warming up during halftime, when he suddenly went down, clutching his ankle. Alternatively, it could have been a result of him testing whether he could continue after aggravating an earlier injury and realizing he couldn’t play through it.
Mitchell had 12 points in 20 minutes as the Cavaliers trailed by a staggering 41-point deficit at halftime before eventually losing 129-109.
Injuries have been a recurring issue for Cleveland in this series. Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and De’Andre Hunter have all missed time with injuries, adding to the team’s struggles.
With other key players still recovering, Mitchell has been carrying the load, dropping 40-plus points in back-to-back games—43 points in Game 3 and 48 in Game 2.
Now, with the possibility of going into Game 5 without Mitchell’s usual scoring output, the Cavaliers are in a tough spot. Despite finishing the regular season with an Eastern Conference-best 64-18 record, they seem to have met their match against the Pacers.
Indiana took the first two games in Cleveland, but the Cavaliers managed to stave off a 3-0 series hole with a 126-104 win in Game 3. However, with no fight shown in Game 4 and a 3-1 deficit now staring them in the face, Cleveland faces the daunting task of mounting a comeback.
Game 5 will tip off at 7 p.m. in Cleveland on Tuesday.
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