Los Angeles Clippers forward Danilo Gallinari will miss his team's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday to rest a sore left ankle.

Gallinari's absence against the Cavaliers is a precautionary measure as the Clippers, on the first leg of a back-to-back, gear up for the postseason. Coach Doc Rivers also said on Saturday that Los Angeles has no plans to rest players after Saturday's contest, despite the team prioritizing health ahead of playoff seeding over its last six games of the regular season.

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Backup forward JaMychal Green will start in place of Gallinari against Cleveland, assigned the task of guarding five-time All-Star Kevin Love. Green and reserve guard Garrett Temple were dealt to the Clippers on February 7th from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Avery Bradley. The fifth-year forward has played well in Los Angeles, averaging 7.9 points and 6.8 rebounds in 19.1 minutes per game off the bench, shooting 38.7 percent from three-point range on a high volume of attempts.

Gallinari is enjoying one of the finest seasons of his perpetually underrated career in 2018-19. He's averaging career-bests 19.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, blazing nets from beyond the arc by shooting 43.6 percent on nearly six three-point attempts per game. Gallinari missed the Clippers' loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on March 12th, with the team telling reporters after the game he was suffering from a “very light” ankle issue. He's played in every game since.

Los Angeles, 45-31, is currently sixth place in the Western Conference, one game back of the fourth-place Utah Jazz and one game ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs, locked in a dead heat at the bottom of the postseason standings.