After a strong, resilient win over the Milwaukee Bucks to end their 10-day, four-game road trip, the Cleveland Cavaliers are back home against the Los Angeles Clippers. The homecoming alone is already good news for the Cavs, who are understandably ecstatic to be home in their own bed and spend time with their friends and loved ones. But, with the latest injury report saying that Evan Mobley (knee) is considered a game-time decision against Los Angeles, Cleveland has to be over the moon.
Evan Mobley, Cavs injury report
Mobley, who will be exactly six weeks removed from the arthroscopic procedure that removed a loose body from his left knee when the Cavs host the Clippers, is seemingly ahead of schedule in his return to the floor. Sure, Cleveland head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said that Mobley will be on a minute restriction since the star big man hasn't played competitive basketball in over a month when he returns. The fact that his highly-anticipated debut after surgery hinges on how Mobley's knee feels before tip-off could give the Cavs a shot in the arm they need, especially when breaking down the remainder of Cleveland's injury report.
The Cavs will be without Darius Garland (jaw), Ty Jerome (ankle), and Tristan Thompson (suspension) against the Clippers. Donovan Mitchell, meanwhile, is considered probable despite dealing with a strained groin. Mitchell's injury seemingly happened in the closing moments of Cleveland's win over Milwaukee, when the star shooting guard suffered an awkward fall and took his time getting back up. While he is considered probable for the Cavs against the Clippers, the tricky nature of groin injuries makes Mitchell's status worth keeping tabs on leading up to tip-off.
While it's tough to see Garland still sidelined, there should be optimism Cleveland's star point guard is out on the floor sooner rather than later. Bickerstaff recently shared with ClutchPoints that Garland wasn't traveling with the team on the recent 10-day, four-game road trip to allow Garland to continue working with the team's training staff to ramp up his production and allow him to get back on the floor. While Mobley did return before Garland, the Cavs will never set a finite date for when their players return from injury since player safety is the number one priority. Either way, signs are finally trending toward Cleveland to play as a complete unit once Garland returns to the floor.
While Garland is still working his way back to the court, Jerome will be now sidelined indefinitely after not playing since Cleveland's home-opening loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Between their recent two-game stint in Milwaukee against the Bucks, the Cavs announced that Jerome, his medical team, and the team's medical team elected that the best course of action was for the sweet-shooting combo guard to have surgery on his nagging ankle.
Jerome's return to the court action wasn’t supposed to take this long. But each time he attempted to ramp up his recovery and increase physical activity, his ankle didn’t respond, and Jerome suffered setback after setback. Frustrated by the slow recovery process throughout, the Cavs and Jerome attempted a few different treatment plans, including an immobilizing cast in late November, before opting for surgery earlier this week. There’s no word on when he will resume basketball activities; Jerome will remain out indefinitely for now.
Finally, for Thompson, this will be the third game in a 25-game suspension after the veteran big man tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. But, with Mobley back alongside Allen, there's not much concern about whether Thompson is available for Cleveland as the season advances.
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