Donovan Mitchell was the lone bright spot for the Cleveland Cavaliers in their first three playoff games against the Indiana Pacers. Despite trailing in the series 2-1, Mitchell was averaging 41.3 points per game in the second round. Entering Sunday, his dominance was their only consistent strength against an Indiana team that is peaking at the perfect time. And then, in Game 4, everything fell apart.
The Pacers shellacked the Cavaliers to the tune of an 80-39 first half. That 41-point gap is tied for the biggest halftime lead in playoff history. That made a Game 4 comeback all but impossible, but to add injury to insult, Mitchell didn’t look right coming out of the locker room before the second half. He tried to get some shots up, but didn’t look comfortable. He ultimately was not on the court or even on the Cavs’ bench when the second half began.
The Cavaliers declared Mitchell doubtful to return with a left ankle injury, offering no further specificity. Without knowing the exact nature of the injury, his long-term prognosis is not clear. What we can say with certainty, though, is that Cleveland is not winning this series if Mitchell has to miss games.
As it stands, Cleveland will need to win three consecutive games, including one in Indiana, to reach the Eastern Conference finals. Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and De’Andre Hunter are all playing through injuries and missed Game 2. This team was already operating at considerably less than full strength, but Mitchell was so good he was keeping them in the mix.
Without him? This 64-win season could be coming to an end.
