The Cleveland Cavaliers are expected to be without star guard Donovan Mitchell for Game 5 of their second-round playoff series versus the Boston Celtics due to a calf strain, per Shams Charania. Cleveland is down 3-1 in the series and facing elimination on Wednesday night in Boston.
Mitchell also missed Game 4, which the Cavaliers kept closer than anyone expected before fading down the stretch. In addition, the Cavaliers could be without big man Jarrett Allen and wing Caris LeVert, both of whom are questionable. Allen has not played since Game 4 of the first round due to a rib injury, while LeVert was added to the injury report with a bone bruise on his left knee.
According to Tim Bontemps, none of the three were on the court when the media was let into the Cavaliers' shootaround on Wednesday morning. If none of them are able to go, the Cavaliers -- already the worst offensive team remaining in the playoffs -- would be without three of their top-five scorers in the postseason, who were averaging a combined 56.7 points per game.
While the Cavaliers would love to have Allen and LeVert for this game, their status matters far less than Mitchell's. The five-time All-Star is one of the game's best individual scorers and carried the Cavs' offense through their first 10 games of the postseason.
His 29.6 points per game rank sixth among all players in the postseason and third among those who are still active. In addition to his individual scoring, the attention he commanded from the Celtics' defense opened up the floor for his teammates and was a big reason why they pulled off an upset win in Game 2. Mitchell had 29 points, seven rebounds and eight assists that night.
While their hot 3-point shooting carried them through the first half of Game 4, the second half was a reminder of how difficult it can be for them to score without Mitchell on the floor. They went 19-of-45 from the field, including 4-of-23 from behind the arc in that second half, as the Celtics pulled away and built a double-digit lead that proved too much to overcome.
In 11 playoff games, the Cavaliers have only reached 100 points four times. With Mitchell (and perhaps Allen and LeVert) out, and the series shifting back to Boston, it's going to be even more difficult for the Cavaliers to match the Celtics' offense in Game 5.
