Cavs forward Evan Mobley to return vs. Clippers on Monday
The Cleveland Cavaliers are almost completely reloaded after suffering a string of injuries in December. Power forward Evan Mobley is set to finally return to the lineup after missing the past six weeks due to a knee injury.
Mobley has not played since Dec. 6, when he injured his left knee. He had an arthroscopic procedure on Dec. 18 and has been rehabbing the knee for the past month. He is returning to the court two weeks ahead of his recovery schedule.
Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff is expected to limit Mobley's minutes in his return to the court. After participating in a Monday morning shootaround, Mobley received a questionable designation on the team's injury report.
Mobley was one of two Cleveland stars to go down in December. Guard Darius Garland has also been out for several weeks as he recovers from a broken jaw sustained Dec. 15 against the Boston Celtics.
Even though the Cavs have raced to a 14-4 record without their two key players, Mobley being infused back into the lineup should help reenergize the team defensively. In the 21 games before his injury, Mobley was averaging 16.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.7 blocks.
Cleveland (27-16) has won nine of its 11 contests to start the new year. The team owns the fifth-best record in the East Conference and welcomes the equally hot Los Angeles Clippers to town for Monday night's showdown.
