Story by
Cavaliers' Donovan Mitchell has 'mild' ankle sprain, Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson says
- Story by
- Cavaliers' Donovan Mitchell has 'mild' ankle sprain, Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson says
CLEVELAND — Cavaliers All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell's left ankle injury is a "mild" sprain, Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said.
Mitchell didn't play Tuesday night when the Cavs (63-16) defeated the Chicago Bulls (36-43) at Rocket Arena to clinch the No. 1 playoff seed in the Eastern Conference .
Advertisement
Cavs playoff news: Cleveland Cavaliers clinch No. 1 seed in Eastern Conference
During Atkinson's pregame media availability, the coach suggested the Cavs could shut down Mitchell for the rest of the regular season if they were to secure the No. 1 seed. They have three regular-season games left.
"I think we've got to read this, right?" Atkinson said. "Like what happens tonight depends a lot on what happens going forward, how we deal with this. I think that kind of makes sense."
Cavs news: Donovan Mitchell's sacrifice is paying off for the Cleveland Cavaliers
After the Cavs clinched the East's top seed, Atkinson flat out stated he thinks Mitchell should rest for the remainder of the regular season.
Advertisement
"That's my opinion. If I was to tell you my thought, but I definitely want to talk to everybody and see where Don is and see how the ankle looks," Atkinson said. "I mean, it looked better today already. It's going to be a little bit, 'What do you want to do?' My personal opinion? I'll tell you. I'd rather him err on the side of caution, and we've got seven days to prepare [between the April 13 regular-season finale and the playoffs]. We can do intrasquad scrimmages. We can do a lot of things to get ready. But, yeah, we're going to make that decision [soon]."
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) talks with coach Kenny Atkinson during the second quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Jan. 18, 2025, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Mitchell suffered a left ankle sprain in the third quarter of Sunday's 120-113 loss to the Sacramento Kings . He returned to the game later during the same quarter and played all 12 minutes of the fourth quarter. He finished with 19 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the field (1 of 6 on 3-pointers), seven rebounds, six assists and two steals in 33 minutes.
Even with Mitchell out Tuesday, the Cavs weren't nearly as shorthanded as the Bulls.
Advertisement
The Bulls played without guards Coby White (rest), Josh Giddey (right flexor carpiulnaris teninopathy), Lonzo Ball (right wrist sprain), Ayo Dosunmu (left shoulder surgery) and Tre Jones (left midfoot sprain), guard-forward Kevin Huerter (right cervical strain) and center Nikola Vucevic (right calf soreness).
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs' Donovan Mitchell has 'mild' ankle sprain, Kenny Atkinson says
