The Cleveland Cavaliers, though, look good on the table but aren’t enjoying their time lately. They will have to wait at least one more game to clinch the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Donovan Mitchell and Co. entered Rocket Arena on Sunday with a chance to seal the deal in front of their home fans; Unfortunately, that was not meant to be. The Cavs faced a hungry ‘Kings’ that wanted to hold on to the Playoff kingdom and remain in postseason contention till the last breath. The result? Well, after a solid first half, the Cavaliers fell short in the second half, ultimately losing to the Kings, 113-120. Shooting guard Ty Jerome led the scoring for Cleveland, dropping 20 points. Meanwhile, Donovan Mitchell contributed another 19. However, the Cavaliers faithful did not sweat about the result. It was what happened during the game that made them hold their breath for a while.
During the third quarter of the game, Cleveland’s superstar, Donovan Mitchell, exited the game early, scaring everyone present in the Arena. This came after Mitchell was running back to get on defense and appeared to have stumbled near Sacramento’s Keon Ellis. As soon as the 28-year-old fell to the floor, he was in visible discomfort and held his ankle. After being down for some time, the shooting guard limped and headed to the locker room, leaving everyone worried. However, to everyone’s surprise, Mitchell made a comeback to the court with 3:02 left in the third quarter. Respecting the seed and importance of morale, he chose not to let the injury keep him out of the game for even a quarter.
He then went on to play the final fifteen minutes of the game, including the entire fourth quarter. Mitchell scored five points and even dished out four assists in the final quarter of the game. As passion overtook reality, he didn’t let the injury reflect on him. However, it was a different story after the final whistle. After the loss, Donovan Mitchell was seen hobbling around and seemed to be in pain. While everyone could see him being in discomfort, the Cavaliers’ superstar was reluctant to admit the same.
“[I’ve] never been better. I’m going to let tomorrow be tomorrow and then go from there.” Mitchell stated. Well, he then elaborated on his decision to return to the game despite having exited it earlier. “I want to get the one seed, If I’m able to go, I’m able to go. Obviously, I’m a little hobbled after the first adrenaline rush, or probably the first, I don’t know, 5 to 10 minutes. But I’m trying to win. I’m trying to have my team win in any way possible. Just bring energy, and if I’m out there, I can’t have certain mistakes that I made.” Mitchell said.
His hunger to win is quite admirable. The shooting guard had a clear goal to clinch the first seed. Even though he fell short, it was a good game for the Spida, who, for now, appears to be fit. However, the Cavaliers’ head coach, Kenny Atkinson, was not taking any chances with his franchise player as soon as he knew about the injury.
Kenny Atkinson doesn’t want to take any chances with Donovan Mitchell before the playoffs
It was a major scare on Sunday night when Donovan Mitchell left the court after sustaining an ankle injury in the third quarter. For now, it appears the Cleveland Cavaliers have dodged a bullet there by avoiding a mishap with their franchise player. Still, it’s not the time to take any risks, let alone an unnecessary one. Cleveland’s head coach, Kenny Atkinson, agrees with this statement.
“I had a discussion with him,” Atkinson said. “I told him, I said, ‘Listen, if it’s, you know, even 5% where you’re a little weak or whatever, or it’s bothering you, you gotta tell me, so we can get you out. We got multiple games to try to clinch this thing. Don’t have to do it tonight.’ And he said it was fine, you know, felt fine.”
Mar 7, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) reacts after scoring to end the second quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images.
Atkinson has a fair point. Clinching the first seed is important, but not at the cost of losing a player of Mitchell’s caliber. Even if the injury wasn’t anything serious, the team should take every possible precaution. However, despite the scare, Atkinson thinks Donovan Mitchell’s return to the floor is a positive sign for the team. “Imagine, you know, ankle’s bad — he’s out for a couple weeks, right? That could easily happen. I look at [him returning as a] positive, man. He came back and finished, you know, played the whole fourth quarter. So that might be the most positive thing of the night.” Atkinson stated. While it’s great to see Mitchell avoid a major injury, him overestimating his health and ability has gotten the worst of him earlier as well.
Last season, he attempted to return from a knee injury earlier than expected, and that decision backfired, leading him to spend two more weeks on the sidelines. Moreover, that injury seemingly also caused him to sit out two playoff games against the Celtics as well. We hope that isn’t the case this time. The Cavaliers have been dominant the entire season and look like one of the favorites. So, having Donovan Mitchell healthy will be massive for Cleveland if they hope to go all the way this time around. Additionally, they have another chance to clinch the first seed as they host the Chicago Bulls next.
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