Donovan Mitchell is averaging 27.4 ppg and a career-best 6.1 apg this season.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell will be out of the lineup for at least another week, the team announced Tuesday.
Per the team, Mitchell suffered a nasal fracture in a 117-103 loss to the Houston Rockets on March 16 and missed the team’s next game, a 108-103 win against the Indiana Pacers. He had a medical procedure at Cleveland Clinic on Tuesday morning to realign the fracture and will be reevaluated in approximately one week.
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) March 19, 2024
He appeared to sustain a bloody nose in the second half against Houston and sat much of the fourth quarter of the game.
An All-Star this season, Mitchell is averaging 27.4 points and career-highs in rebounds (5.3) and assists (6.1) while shooting 46.8% overall and 37.3% on 3-pointers.
Impact of Mitchell’s injury: Aside from his nasal injury, the versatile guard remains slowed by a left knee bruise that has bothered him since the break. He missed seven games before the loss to Houston because of that injury and said after that game it has impacted some of his explosiveness.
“I mean, no disrespect to some guys, but I’m not really blowing by people right now, and that’s disappointing and it’s affecting me,” Mitchell said.
“I want to be out there, but it’s clear as day, even to myself,” Mitchell said. “I can’t fool myself. We’ll get it right and be ready for when that time comes.”
The Cavs (43-25) are the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff chase and trail the Milwaukee Bucks by one game for the No. 2 spot. However, the Cavs have gone 7-8 since the All-Star break (after being one of the NBA’s hottest teams before it) and, as of Monday, had seen the NBA’s sixth-biggest drop in points scored per 100 possessions and the league’s fourth-biggest jump in points allowed per 100 possessions since the break.
Cleveland’s schedule over the next week is somewhat arduous as it faces the Miami Heat at home (March 20), visits the Minnesota Timberwolves (March 22) and Heat (March 24) and then hosts the Charlotte Hornets (March 25) in the opening game of a home-and-home set between the teams.
Information from The Associated Press and NBA.com’s John Schuhmann was used in this report.
