Mitchell played 35 minutes last night against Oklahoma City.
Cleveland Cavaliers superstar Donovan Mitchell will not play Thursday against the visiting Toronto Raptors according to the official NBA injury report. Mitchell played 35 minutes last night against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the most he had logged since Dec. 7.
Mitchell had a difficult shooting night against the Thunder, finishing with 11 points on 3-16 shooting. Getting hounded by the Lu Dort and the number-one defense in the league will do that to you.
The Cavs have been extra careful with their starters and how many minutes they accrue throughout the season, something that was not afforded last season. Mitchell is averaging 31.4 minutes per game this year, down from the 35 minutes per game he averaged in each of his two previous seasons in Cleveland. The Cavs are, of course, better equipped to give Mitchell rest given the depth they present.
At the time of this writing, Mitchell is the only starter who is listed as out for rest. However, the Cavs could of course opt to pull their starters after a quarter or two. Last night, Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen played 32 minutes while Evan Mobley also had 35 minutes. It would not be surprising to see Kenny Atkinson and the coaching staff pull the core four and limit their court time to maximize rest.
Cleveland doesn’t play again until Sunday, Jan. 12 against the Indiana Pacers, so Mitchell could be looking at three full days of rest. The Cavs don’t have a back-to-back until Jan. 24-25 when they play the Philadelphia 76ers (away) and the Houston Rockets (home).
In Mitchell’s absence, the Cavs could go with Caris LeVert, Max Strus, or Ty Jerome in the starting lineup. Luke Travers and Emoni Bates are not on the injury report either, meaning they could be available as well.