I don’t think the Cavs expected to catch themselves in the form they are in right now. They were on fire, winning a franchise-high 16 games on the bounce. But they’ve been very inconsistent in the past month- which was just capped off by a second-half meltdown against the Pacers last night. A Tyrese Haliburton-inspired comeback saw Cleveland get edged out 114-112 by Indiana- much to the woes of their fans. But it was a decent performance considering their absentees in the form of Donovan Mitchell and Co.
The Don’s arguably been their best player this season, and they paid the price for missing out on the Spida’s brilliance. Not just him though- 3 other stars were out due to a multitude of reasons. But their back-to-back continues when they visit the Knicks at the MSG tonight. So will they feature in New York?
Cavaliers injury report ahead of Knicks clash
Donovan Mitchell’s been nursing a mild ankle sprain since their 120-113 loss to the Kings on Sunday night. It happened in the third quarter but returned to the game later during the same quarter and played all 12 minutes of the fourth quarter. But he’s missed the next two games and is a game-time decision for tonight.
This does make sense considering Atkinson’s stance on resting him for the rest of the regular season. “That’s my opinion. If I was to tell you my thought, but I definitely want to talk to everybody and see where Don is and see how the ankle looks,” Atkinson said. “I mean, it looked better today already. It’s going to be a little bit, ‘What do you want to do?’ My personal opinion? I’ll tell you. I’d rather him err on the side of caution.”
Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
The next guard on their injury list is the starting point Darius Garland. 20.5/6.7 while shooting 47% from the field is an outrageous stat line, and is a huge improvement on his previous season. The All-Star guard has been given time off for the remaining regular season games despite missing the Indiana clash due to a toe sprain. He’s thus on a game-time decision as well.
The other two stars missing at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse last night were center Evan Mobley and guard Max Strus. The Cavs’ depth has been key to their success this season, with Strus being a fantastic rotational option for Atkinson. He missed Thursday’s game against the Pacers due to knee injury management, and that bone bruise has kept him as a game-time decision for tonight’s Knicks clash as well. As for Mobley, coach Kenny had chosen to rest him for the Pacers game. He might choose to rest him for tonight’s game as well, so he too is a game-time decision.
Cavs predicted lineup vs Knicks
The Cavs don’t have much to play for. They clinched their division and the conference back in March itself. With the playoffs right around the corner, starting their main 5 doesn’t look to be ideal. They’ve not officially turned in their injury report due to the back-to-backs, either. So with minimal changes expected, let’s look at their expected lineup against New York tonight:
Point Guard
Ty Jerome
Shooting Guard
Sam Merrill
Power Forward
De’Andre Hunter
Small Forward
Dean Wade
Center
Jarrett Allen
The Pacers will be watching this game keenly. They’re just one from the 3rd seed with just two season games to go. Can Cleveland bounce back from their defeat, or will the Knicks end their streak of back-to-back losses on home turf?
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