The Cleveland Cavaliers are on the brink of elimination, and they have a chance to extend their season on Tuesday night for Game 5 against the Indiana Pacers.
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They will be in front of their home crowd, which should be rockin’. The Cavaliers entered Tuesday with their best player, superstar guard Donovan Mitchell, who was listed as questionable.
Hours before the game, the Cavaliers called him a ‘game-time decision.’ Less than an hour before tip-off, Cleveland released his official status.
The Cavaliers upgraded Mitchell from questionable to available. Mitchell will start and play for the Cavaliers in Game 5.
Donovan Mitchell (ankle) will start Tuesday.
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) May 13, 2025
The Cavaliers are still the heavy favorites in this matchup with a -8.5 spread.
Mitchell suffered the injury in the first half of Game 4. He tried to play in the second half, but he couldn’t. The 28-year-old did his best to remain in the game but was ruled out for the second half. Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome started in the second half in Mitchell’s place.
Mitchell only played 20 minutes in the contest, where he recorded 12 points on a poor 3-of-11 shooting from the field, one rebound, and zero assists. The six-time All-Star has been stellar all playoffs long, but especially this series in the first three games. Before Game 4, Mitchell averaged 41.3 points per game, 6.0 assists, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.0 steals while shooting 47.2 percent from the field and 22.6 percent from three in 35.7 minutes of action.
The Cavaliers are on the brink of elimination, and part of it has to do with the injuries they’ve endured this series alone. The Cavaliers were without their All-Star guard Darius Garland for the first two games as he was recovering from a toe injury.
The Cavaliers were also without their key forwards, Evan Mobley and De’Andre Hunter, for Game 2. Mobley suffered an ankle injury, and Hunter suffered a thumb injury.
Even before the news, Cleveland sounded surprisingly optimistic that Mitchell’s injury was not serious. Mitchell has dealt with nagging ankle issues in the past, and in this do-or-die game for Cleveland, the Cavaliers are going all in to try and force a Game 6.
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