The Cleveland Cavaliers are set to battle the Detroit Pistons in an NBA In-Season Tournament game on Friday night. The Cavs are fresh off a 109-95 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday. It was a nice bounce back win after previously losing to the Sacramento Kings 132-120. Cleveland is hoping to earn another win Friday, but Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland are both dealing with injuries.
Mitchell is battling a right hamstring strain while Garland is dealing with a neck strain. The Pistons haven’t performed well in 2023-24, but their chances of upsetting Cleveland will increase if Mitchell and Garland are unavailable.
With that being said, Cavs fans are likely to ask the following question: Are Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland playing tonight vs. the Pistons?
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Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland injury statuses vs. Pistons
Garland is expected to play, while Mitchell was ruled out for the game, per Underdog NBA.
Mitchell is in the midst of another strong season. The veteran is averaging 29.2 points per game on 48.6 percent field goal and 39.3 percent three-point shooting across 10 games.
Garland has been limited so far due to injuries. The Cavs guard is averaging 17.2 points per game on 44.9 percent field goal and 28.6 percent three-point shooting in just six total contests. He is dishing out 6.2 assists and recording just under two steals per game.
It’s been difficult for Garland to find consistency as he continues to battle injury concerns. The hope is that Garland can get fully healthy soon and start performing at an All-Star level once again.
As aforementioned, there was a chance that both Cavs stars would miss Friday’s game. However, when it comes to the question of if Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland are officially playing tonight vs. the Pistons, the answer is yes for Garland and no for Mitchell.