Cavs All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell ruled out of Game 4 vs Celtics with calf injury
CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers have ruled out All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell for Monday night's Game 4 with a calf injury.
Mitchell was not on the court Monday morning for the portion of the team's shootaround open to media. He watched film and underwent treatment at Cleveland Clinic Courts in Independence.
On Sunday, the Cavs listed Mitchell as questionable to play the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse because of a strained left calf. About an hour before tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, they ruled him out.
"The other night in the game towards the back end of that fourth quarter, it just started to build on him and just became sore," Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said of Mitchell's calf injury Monday during his pregame media availability.
Mitchell has been pushing through a left knee bone bruise since mid-February, but the calf injury is a recent development. He presumably suffered it Saturday night in the Cavs' 106-93 home loss to the Celtics in Game 3. The Cavs trail the Celtics 2-1 in the best-of-seven, second-round playoff series.
Bickerstaff said neither team medical personnel nor Mitchell have told him the calf strain is a result of pushing through the knee injury.
"He obviously wants to play, and he'll do everything in his power to be able to play, but it's always the same with all of our guys," Bickerstaff said. "If he's in a position where he can't protect himself, then we won't ask him to play. And he knows his body well enough at this point where he knows if he can't go out and give what he needs to help the team win, then he won't be able to play."
As shootaround wound down, Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland said “be aggressive” would be the team's mindset in the event it must face the Celtics without Mitchell, who has scored at least 25 points in the past six games and joined LeBron James as the only player in Cavs postseason history to achieve the feat.
“Play as a team, keep the ball moving, have them chasing us around a little bit and then trusting each other,” Garland added. “We have a lot of guys that's super confident in themselves, so we need them to be super confident tonight, make the extra pass and just play as a team.”
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The Cavs have struggled on the rare occasions when Mitchell has rested during games in the series against the Celtics.
“It's all my responsibility,” said Garland, who scored 14 points in Games 1 and 2 and 15 points in Game 3. “I'm the leader of the floor, so just have to take control, be aggressive, make the right play and just try to get downhill.”
Cavs center Jarrett Allen takes a few foul shots during open portion of shootaround. He is ruled out for Game 4 vs. Celtics with a rib injury
Cavs starting center Jarrett Allen will miss his seventh consecutive playoff game with a rib injury suffered in the first round against the Orlando Magic. The Cavs had listed him as questionable for Game 4 versus the Celtics until they ruled him out about 50 minutes before tipoff.
Allen didn't do much in the portion of shootaround open to reporters Monday morning. He took a few foul shots like he has in at least one other recent shootaround viewed by media.
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Evan Mobley has shifted from his usual starting power forward position to play center in Allen's absence.
Undrafted rookie point guard Craig Porter Jr. took shots during shootaround. He has been ruled out for Game 4 and has missed the entire postseason thus far with a sprained left ankle he suffered in the April 14 regular-season finale.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Donovan Mitchell ruled out of Cavaliers Game 4 with injury
