BOSTON — The Cleveland Cavaliers were without three of their top six players — led by star guard Donovan Mitchell — for Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.
Mitchell is dealing with a left calf strain; Jarrett Allen is out with a rib injury; And Caris LeVert, who replaced Mitchell in the starting lineup for Game 4 before being placed on the injury report Tuesday, is out with a bone bruise in his left knee. All were sidelined for Cleveland’s final game of the season.
Trailing 3-1, the Cavaliers need a win on Wednesday to bring the series back to Cleveland for Game 6 on Friday night.
Mitchell missed Cleveland’s 109-102 loss in Game 4 on Monday night with the same injury suffered late in the fourth quarter of Boston’s Game 3 win on Saturday. After playing for more than 22 consecutive minutes in the second half, Mitchell began limping on the court.
Mitchell was not on the court when media were allowed to shootaround Wednesday morning at TD Garden, although he came out afterward and sat on the sideline in workout gear before walking out with his teammates. LeVert did the same thing after being listed as questionable for Game 5.
Allen was not visible at any time during the shootout. He has been out of seven consecutive matches due to a rib injury. He has not played since Game 4 of Cleveland’s first-round series against the Orlando Magic.
