Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell looks on during the the first half of Game 4 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics, Monday, May 13, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
CLEVELAND — Cavaliers star guard Donovan Mitchell missed Game 4 of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics on Monday with a left calf injury, a devastating loss that will make it even tougher for Cleveland to get back in the series.
Mitchell, who has been dealing with a left knee injury for months, got hurt in the closing minutes of Cleveland’s loss on Saturday in Game 3.
The five-time All-Star is averaging 29.6 points in his second postseason with Cleveland. He scored 33 on Saturday in the Cavs’ 106-93 loss as the Celtics took a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal.
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The Cavaliers were also without starting center Jarrett Allen, who missed his seventh straight game with a rib injury. Allen hasn’t been able to play since getting hurt in Cleveland’s first-round series against the Orlando Magic.
Allen had been dominant before getting hurt, averaging 17.0 points and 13.8 rebounds. He grabbed 20 rebounds in Cleveland’s Game 2 win over the Magic.
Mitchell received treatment on the bench during a timeout Saturday, but clearly was slowed during game action. With the Celtics up by 13 and closing out the win, Mitchell left the court in the final two minutes and went to the locker room.
Mitchell did not take part in the team’s morning shootaround, opting for treatment and film work.
He arrived at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse shortly before 5 p.m., two hours before the opening tip.
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Earlier, Cavs guard Darius Garland said it would be imperative for the team remain in attack mode if Mitchell was out.
“Just be aggressive,” Garland said. “Play as a team, keep the ball moving and trust each other. We have a lot of guys that are super confident in themselves, so we’ll need them to be super confident tonight and make the extra pass and play as a team and pull us together.”
The 27-year-old Mitchell is averaging 31.7 points and making 53.3% of his 3-pointers against the Celtics. He’s averaged 36.8 points in his last five games, scoring 50 in a Game 6 loss to Orlando in the first round.
Mitchell played in just 55 games this season after being slowed by the left knee injury. He sat out 16 of Cleveland’s final 24 games in the regular season.
Allen shot a few free throws at the end of the team’s pregame shootaround, but isn’t ready to play in a game.
“I know Jarrett,” said Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff. “I know Jarrett wants to be on the floor and he would do anything in his power to be on the floor.”
Top-seeded Boston remains without center Kristaps Porzingis, who has missed the last four games with a calf injury.