The Cleveland Cavaliers tied their Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Boston Celtics at 1-1 with a 118-94 win in Boston on Thursday, and it looked like perhaps they had a chance to do the unthinkable.
But the Celtics took Game 3 by 13 points on Saturday to regain control of the series, setting up a virtual must-win situation for the Cavs in Game 4 on Monday.
The Cavs have suffered a huge blow before Game 4 even starts as Donovan Mitchell, their superstar and best player, was ruled out due to a calf strain, per Adrian Wojnarowski.
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
Mitchell put up 26.6 points a game in the regular season, but as usual, he has turned his game up a notch come playoff time.
He’s averaging 29.6 points in 10 playoff games so far, and he has contributed 33 points twice in the first three games of this current series.
Without him, Cleveland seems to be ripe for a blowout loss, especially since Darius Garland, their other starting guard, has been struggling in this series and for most of this postseason.
They have already been dealing with a rib injury to starting center Jarrett Allen that has kept him out of action since Game 5 of the first round versus the Orlando Magic.
Mitchell is one of several big-name stars who have been injured in this year’s playoffs, along with Julius Randle, Kawhi Leonard, Zion Williamson, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Jimmy Butler.
Cleveland will need an all-hands-on-deck effort, especially offensively, to have any chance of tying their series against Jayson Tatum and crew on Monday.
NEXT:
Insider Reveals Latest Update On Donovan Mitchell Injury
