Donovan Mitchell and his Cleveland Cavaliers are set to play host to the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference Semifinals series Monday evening.
Cleveland could even the best-of-seven series while retaking home-court advantage in the all-important Game 4 after stealing one in Boston.
Unforunately, the Cavaliers are going to be without Mitchell for the matchup. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report that Mitchell will miss Monday’s game with a left calf strain.
To say that this is a brutal blow for the Cavaliers would be a major understatement. Mitchell is what makes this team tick on the offensive end of the court. What we’ve seen throughout the postseason magnifies this to a T.
- Donovan Mitchell stats (2024 NBA Playoffs): 29.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 4.7 APG, 48% shooting
With Mitchell sidelined, Darius Garland will have to step into more of a scoring role. The fellow guard has struggled to an extent in the playoffs, averaging 14.7 points on 45% shooting. He’ll need to double that output for the Cavaliers to have a chance.
After splitting the first two games in Boston, the Cavaliers lost at home Saturday night by the score of 106-93. Garland scored just 15 points in that game.