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It's clear that the Cleveland Cavaliers miss the presence of their superstar guard Donovan Mitchell as the team tries to avoid falling down the Eastern Conference standings. As of now, Cleveland is in third place with a 44-28 record as they await Mitchell's return to the court.
Unfortunately for Cavs fans, the five-time NBA All-Star is listed as out for tonight's game against the Charlotte Hornets, alongside Dean Wade. Mitchell has missed 23 games this season due to different injuries and is currently sidelined due to a nasal fracture and a left knee bruise.
What happened to Donovan Mitchell
Mitchell sustained the nose injury back on March 16, when Cleveland lost to the Houston Rockets by a score of 117-103. He has already received a proper medical procedure for the injury but is still bothered by his knee injury, which has hampered his progress on the court after the NBA All-Star break.
NBA reporter Shams Charania suggesed that Donovan Mitchell is on the cusp of return and could play this Friday for their home game against the 76ers.
In the 49 games he's played this season, Donovan Mitchell is averaging 27.4 points (46.8% shooting, including 37.3% from 3-point range), 6.1 assists and 5.3 rebounds.
Aside from Mitchell and Wade being sidelined, Max Strus (knee) is listed as questionable for tonight's game.
Meanwhile, the Charlotte Hornets will be without several key players for this matchup such as LaMelo Ball (ankle), Seth Curry (ankle), Cody Martin (ankle) and Mark Williams (back).
Donovan Mitchell's stats vs. Charlotte Hornets
In the 12 career games that Donovan Mitchell has played against the Charlotte Hornets, he has put up averages of 24.7 points, 5.3 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game.
The last time he played the Hornets was on March 12, 2023, when the Cleveland Cavaliers got the better of them with a score of 114-108. In that matchup, Mitchell showed up with 23 points (10-of-19 shooting), 3 assists and 3 rebounds. Meanwhile, Darius Garland led the team in scoring with his 28-point outing (8-of-20 shooting, including 2-of-10 from 3-point range), 6 rebounds and 6 assists.
With Donovan Mitchell still unavailable to return to the court, fans can expect Darius Garland to step up once again and have another huge outing. He will also be accompanied by the combined production of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
In the absence of two starters, the team will look also to Caris LeVert, Isaac Okoro and Georges Niang to play more minutes.
As of now, the New York Knicks are in fourth place (43-28 record) in the Eastern Conference standings and are 0.5 games back from third place. With the NBA playoffs only a few weeks away, it is shaping up to be a tight race for postseason seedings.
Guess the Lakers players!
