Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell expected to miss Game 5

Mitchell, who was unavailable for Game 4 due to a left calf strain, had been listed as questionable for Wednesday’s contest, which is a do-or-die game for a Cavs team trailing the Celtics 3-1 in the series. The All-Star guard admitted on Monday that his availability for Game 5 was very much up in the air.

Two other key Cleveland players are also listed as questionable: starting center Jarrett Allen (right rib contusion) and sixth-man-turned-starter Caris LeVert (left knee bone bruise). 

None of the three players were on the floor when reporters were let into the Cavs’ shootaround on Wednesday morning, though Mitchell and LeVert did later come onto the court, notes Tim Bontemps of ESPN.

Allen has missed seven straight playoff games as a result of his rib injury, while LeVert reportedly aggravated his knee issue in Game 4, which he started in Mitchell’s place.

Barring some last-minute good news on Mitchell’s status — or a big-time upset on Wednesday by a Cleveland team listed as a 16-point underdog — there’s a chance the 27-year-old has played his last game as a Cavalier. 

He’ll enter a potential contract year this offseason and if he doesn’t sign an extension, the Cavs will have a major decision to make on his future, with rival teams already said to be preparing their trade offers.