The Cleveland Cavaliers endured a pretty crushing 132-123 double-overtime loss at the hands of the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night, which was made even worse when the Milwaukee Bucks picked up a win over the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday night. Adding onto the pain is the fact that the Cavs didn’t exactly escape this game unscathed, as Donovan Mitchell and Caris LeVert both picked up injuries that have thrown their status for Friday night’s contest against the Detroit Pistons in doubt.
Mitchell picked up an illness immediately after the All-Star break that forced him to miss a pair of games, and he’s now dealing with a sore left knee ahead of their contest against Detroit. LeVert was a late addition to the injury report with a right elbow sprain, and just like Mitchell, he was originally listed as questionable for this game.
So are Donovan Mitchell and Caris LeVert playing tonight vs. the Pistons?
Donovan Mitchell, Caris LeVert injury statuses vs. Pistons
Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Both Mitchell and LeVert have been ruled out for Friday’s game, per Cavs reporter Serena Winters.
Mitchell and LeVert are two crucial pieces of the Cavs offense, so it is not great that both of them will have to miss this game against the Pistons. Yes, Detroit is a woefully bad team, but there’s no such thing as an easy win in the NBA, and with the Bucks breathing down their back for the two seed in the Eastern Conference, there’s little to no margin for error right now.
Chances are Cleveland can get by Detroit without both of them, but their absences are not ideal given how tight their playoff race is becoming.
So when it comes to the question of if Donovan Mitchell and Caris LeVert are playing tonight vs. the Pistons, the answer is no.