David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Cleveland Cavaliers star guard Donovan Mitchell shared a positive update on his health – both physically and mentally – ahead of the Cavs’ first-round playoff matchup with the Orlando Magic.
This is great news for the Cavs, as Mitchell was banged up towards the end of the regular season due to a knee injury and nasal fracture.
The 2023-24 season was a rough one injury wise for Mitchell. He appeared in just 55 games (the second fewest in his NBA career), but he still put up strong numbers. The five-time All-Star averaged 26.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game while shooting 46.2 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from beyond the arc.
After sitting out the Cavs’ regular season finale against the Charlotte Hornets, it appears Mitchell is good to go for Game 1 of the first round against Orlando on Saturday.
Cleveland has the home-court advantage in this series as the No. 4 seed – the second straight season the Cavs have earned the No. 4 seed in the East. Mitchell and company are looking to avoid the result from last season, when the team lost in five games to the New York Knicks.
The Cavs have been off for several days, and Mitchell is itching to get back out on the court.
Before sitting out the game against Charlotte, the one-time All-NBA guard looked to be finding his usual form for the Cavs. He dropped 33 points against the Indiana Pacers on April 12, and he had 29 points on 9-of-17 shooting against the Memphis Grizzlies the game before that.
The two games were Mitchell’s highest scoring performances since the Cavs played the Dallas Mavericks back on Feb. 27 (Mitchell had 31 points in that game).
Mitchell has played sparingly in March and April, appearing in just eight games while averaging 18.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. Those numbers are way down from his season-long averages, so Cavs fans are hoping that Mitchell is truly feeling 100 percent – and can get back to his usual output – for the playoffs.
The Cavs and Magic are scheduled to tip off at 1 p.m. EST on Saturday in Game 1 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
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