The Cleveland Cavaliers likely won't have their best player Wednesday night as they try to keep their season alive.
All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell is expected to miss Game 5 of the Cavs' Eastern Conference semifinals series against the Boston Celtics with a left calf strain, The Athletic's Shams Charania and Joe Vardon reported Wednesday.
Mitchell also missed Game 4 in Cleveland, a narrow 109-102 Celtics victory that gave Boston a 3-1 series lead with the chance to end the Cavs' season Wednesday night.
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Mitchell's absence is a huge blow for Cleveland; he ranks seventh among all players in postseason scoring (29.6 points per game) and is averaging 31.7 points per game in this series, including a 29-point effort in Cleveland's Game 2 victory.
The Cavs actually played relatively well in Mitchell's absence in Game 4, but there's a chance they're even more shorthanded in Boston on Wednesday night, as big man Jarrett Allen (rib injury) and wing Caris LeVert (knee injury) currently are questionable for Game 5, as well. LeVert and Mitchell eventually were spotted at the Cavs' shootaround Wednesday morning at TD Garden.
Tip-off at TD Garden is set for 7 p.m. ET at TD Garden, with NBC Sports Boston's coverage beginning at 6 p.m, with Celtics Pregame Live.
