The Cleveland Cavaliers‘ postseason hopes just took a massive blow ahead of their Game 4 matchup against the Boston Celtics on Monday night. This is after superstar guard Donovan Mitchell was ruled out for this pivotal matchup due to a calf injury.
The Cavs have to protect their home court on Monday night because failing to do so will put them in a deep 3-1 hole heading into Game 5 in Boston. It goes without saying, however, that not having their best player available will obviously make life much more difficult for Cleveland.
Cleveland Cavaliers News: Donovan Mitchell Ruled Out for Game 4 Vs. Celtics
Mitchell has been dealing with a calf problem, which is why he came in as questionable to play heading into Monday’s contest. True enough, ESPN’s NBA guru Adrian Wojnarowski reported roughly an hour before tip-off that Mitchell has been ruled out for Game 4:
ESPN Sources: Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell — who’s averaging nearly 30 points in playoffs — will miss Game 4 vs. the Boston Celtics tonight with a left calf strain. Huge loss for Cavs in a telltale home game down 2-1 in series. pic.twitter.com/fCaUymh6i0
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 13, 2024
What makes this even worse is the fact that the nature of Mitchell’s injury makes it very much possible that his absence will extend beyond Monday’s game.
For reference, Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered a similar injury — although he was diagnosed as a soleus strain — and the former back-to-back MVP ended up sitting out his team’s entire postseason run.
For the Cavs, losing Mitchell is a devastating blow that they might not be able to recover from — especially against the mighty Celtics.
At this point, however, Cleveland has no other choice but to take it one game at a time. They will do everything in their power to try and secure a win in Game 4 with the hope of getting their cornerstone superstar back for Game 5 on Wednesday.
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