Cavs offer immediate update on Craig Porter Jr. after he exits with injury

With multiple key players sitting out, the Cleveland Cavaliers were already undermanned going into their Sunday matchup against the Charlotte Hornets. Unfortunately, the team took another hit after point guard Craig Porter Jr. sustained an injury in the first half of the regular-season finale.

An immediate update was offered on the rookie.

Porter exited after 10 minutes of action, finishing with two points, three rebounds and two assists. He was also a +8, helping Cleveland run to a 26-18 lead before he had to head to the locker room.

Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell and Caris LeVert were among the players ruled out ahead of Sunday’s game. Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff spoke about the many absences.

Hopefully, the Cavs can take care of business at home during the remainder of their matchup against the Hornets, especially if they wish to clinch the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. They currently trail the Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks in the standings by one game. Even so, there is still a scenario in which they can secure second place in the East.

If Cleveland defeats the Hornets while both the Bucks and Knicks lose, the three teams will end up tied in the standings. Because the Cavs would win the Central Division in such a scenario, they would nab the No. 2 seed, as the division winner is the first tiebreaker in the event of a three-way tie.

The good news for Cleveland is that it can finish no lower than fourth place in the East, which means it will definitely have home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Even so, the Cavs might be more focused on getting back healthy bodies instead of thinking about what seed they’ll end up with at the conclusion of the regular season. After all, at full strength, the team has a fair chance of beating any opponent in the playoffs.

Cleveland is trying to prove that its letdown in last year’s postseason was nothing more than a fluke.