Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell will likely miss Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics as he continues to recover from a calf injury.
Mitchell is listed as questionable on the injury report. Boston won 109-102 at Cleveland in Game 4 on Monday night to take a 3-1 lead in the series. Celtics center Al Horford said Wednesday morning that Mitchell's absence had no effect on his team's game plan.
“We expect them to come out fighting, fighting. … We should be able to match that anyway,” Horford said. “I feel that our team reacted well in the last game expecting him not to play. It should be the same way tonight.”
Cavaliers All-Star Donovan Mitchell is expected to miss a possible Game 5 tonight against Boston, sources tell me again @joevardon. Mitchell is dealing with a calf problem. pic.twitter.com/mdp5As2FVI
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 15, 2024
Darius Garland, who scored 30 points and hit four rebounds in Game 4, said the key to getting back to TD Garden is to come out aggressive and maintain a lead.
“I think [Boston’s] I'm going to freak out, I'm trying to cover this up. We have to make the first punch,” Garland told reporters before Game 5.
NBA betting sites have the Cavaliers ranked eighth to win the championship, the lowest odds of any remaining playoff team.
Cleveland Cavaliers' Donovan Mitchell (calf) is questionable for Game 5 against the Boston Celtics
The Cavaliers ended up being shutout in Game 4 without their star player. Cleveland trailed 62-57 at halftime. However, the Cavs felt the difference at the free throw line, where Boston attempted 24 free throws to Cleveland's seven.
“That's funny,” Garland said. “It's hard to get only seven free throws. I know how many times I get hit and how many times my teammates get hit. It's hard.”
Despite the Game 4 loss, Cavaliers coach JB Bickerstaff is proud of the way his team played.
THE FIFTH GAME.
🕖 7PM ET
📺 @NBAonTNT
📻 @wtam1100This is Mega Cleveland
📰 https://t.co/OpRjFjXtgB@RocketMortgage | #AkeYazi pic.twitter.com/QEAdCAMIFV– Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) May 15, 2024
“They put it all out there,” Bickerstaff said. “They gave us everything they had. And they compete at a high level. They played the game well. I'm proud of the boys, the way they came out and threw themselves down and competed and gave themselves a chance.”
Jarrett Allen (ribs) also sat out the seventh straight game after the center suffered an injury in the opening round.
Cleveland is a 15-point underdog in Boston before Game 5
Game 6, if necessary, will return to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Friday.
Cleveland is 2-10 in its last 12 games in Boston and 1-7 in its last eight contests. The Celtics are 17-3 in 20 home games.
That's right, Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis (calf) missed his fifth straight game on Monday night.
The Cavs are 12-16 this season without Donovan Mitchell.
NBA sportsbooks show the Cavaliers as 15-point heavy underdogs in Boston in Game 5. The Celtics hold a 68.1% chance of closing out the series tonight, according to ESPN's Basketball Power Index.
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