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Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell is in danger of missing Game 5 of their second-round NBA Playoffs series against the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night after suffering an ankle injury in Game 4's 129-109 loss.
Mitchell, who underwent an MRI on Monday morning, was diagnosed with a reaggravation of an ankle injury he's been dealing with since the end of the regular season, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.
While reporting on news of Mitchell's MRI results on the Pat McAfee Show, Charania explained that Mitchell is “expected” to be a game-time decision for Game 5 on Tuesday night.
The Cavs have been hit hard by injuries in the playoffs. Aside from Darius Garland missing four playoff games with a toe injury, Evan Mobley and De'Andre Hunter also missed Game 2 against the Pacers after suffering injuries in the first game of the series. Now, it is Mitchell dealing with an injury in Cleveland, which is significant since his team trails Indiana 3-1 in the series.
After playing 20 minutes and scoring 12 points in the first half of Sunday night's game, Mitchell and the Cavaliers entered the locker room trailing the Pacers 80-39, their largest halftime deficit in team history.
While warming up before the start of the second half, Mitchell struggled with putting weight on his lower left leg and immediately went to the locker room.
He did not return at all in the second half with what the team labeled as a left ankle injury. After the game, head coach Kenny Atkinson said that the star guard would undergo an MRI on Monday morning to reveal the extent of this injury.
The good news is that Mitchell was in good spirits in the halls of Gainbridge FieldHouse on Sunday night. He told Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com that he will be available on Tuesday with the Cavs' backs against the wall.
“I will be good for Tuesday,” Mitchell told Fedor. “You know me. I will see you Tuesday.”
After facing minimal adversity during the regular season when they went 64-18, the Cavs now find themselves in a position where they must win three straight games in this Eastern Conference semifinal series, one on the road and two at home, to keep their championship hopes alive and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
If Mitchell can't play on Tuesday night in Cleveland, that very well may be the end of the Cavs' season after entering the playoffs with high title hopes.
The Cavs have yet to provide an official injury diagnosis for Mitchell ahead of Game 5.
