The Cleveland Cavaliers have ruled Donovan Mitchell out of their game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday, March 25. Mitchell is dealing with a slight groin injury, having tweaked it earlier this month.
Mitchell missed Cleveland’s games against the Brooklyn Nets and Memphis Grizzlies on March 11 and 14, respectively. Since returning to the rotation, he hasn’t reached his usual heights.
In the five games that followed, four of which were losses, Mitchell has averaged 18 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists, shooting 14.3% from deep and 30.9% from the field. With Kenny Atkinson’s team in control of its own future as the first seed in the Eastern Conference, it makes sense to give Mitchell the rest his body needs.
Cleveland snapped its four-game losing streak with a win over the Utah Jazz on Sunday, March 23. However, they must secure a victory over Portland to truly banish the memories of their recent skid. However, without Mitchell leading the way, Cleveland’s offense will be far less potent.
Toumani Camara will provide a stern test for Cleveland’s wings. His defensive upside could shackle some of the Cavalier’s on-ball creation. As such, Darius Garland will likely have a significant role to play, especially in terms of half-court creation and shot-making.
Cavaliers’ Kenny Atkinson Wants More Discipline
When speaking to the media following the Cavaliers 119-132 loss to the LA Clippers on Tuesday, March 18, Atkinson admitted that his team lacked defensive discipline.
“They played great,” Atkinson said. “Elite shot-making performance by them. A poor defensive performance by us…Our lack of discipline, fouling them, putting them on the line. And then giving them second-chance points. Even though they did have an elite shot-making game, we didn’t do the little things. We weren’t disciplined on the margins. That’s why you give up 132 points.”
While the Cavaliers have bounced back from that mini-slump, their commitment to making the right decisions on defense will be integral against Portland. Chauncey Billups’ team plays hard. They’re young, athletic, and talented. Cleveland must be focused if it wants to secure a win and not set alarm bells ringing within the fanbase.
Cavaliers Picked to Beat Celtics in Conference Finals
We might be months away from a potential Eastern Conference finals matchup, but that doesn’t mean the Cavaliers fanbase isn’t already dreaming. According to long-time NBA Analyst Bill Simmons, on a March 7 episode of ‘The Bill Simmons Show,’ the Cavaliers have the potential to overcome the Boston Celtics.
“I do wonder sometimes if hunger is the most underrated noun in sports, and that’s what worries me with Cleveland vs. Boston,” Simmons said. “Boston plays hard, Tatum plays hard every night, the team gives a s—t, but Cleveland hasn’t been there before and every guy on that team when they play the Celtics, it will be the most important 2 weeks of their life.”
Simmons continued.
“The Celtics can’t say the same and there’s that little edge of like Game 7 at home, Donovan Mitchell with like, holy s—t I could actually make the finals, this is my moment right now. The Celtics had that last year. Going back-to-back is really hard. The history of the NBA is this is the single hardest thing you can do in the NBA is winning the second time in a row”
Of course, the health and availability of Mitchell will be key to the Cavaliers’ chances of success. As such, it makes sense for the franchise to sit its star guard while he continues to recover from his groin impingement.
After all, the focus is on competing for a championship, not winning a random game in late March. Still, the Cavaliers will undoubtedly want to secure a win over Portland and prove their recent four-game losing streak was nothing but a bump in the road.
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