Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell couldn’t confidently answer when asked if he expected a potential groin injury to keep him out, Cleveland.com Cavs reporter Chris Fedor wrote in a Thursday article.
“Can’t really tell you right now to be honest,” Mitchell said. “Will have to tell you in a couple days. Right now, I’m hyped up, so it’s a little different.”
Donovan Mitchell, Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and the team’s trainers all agreed that having him stay in Wednesday’s 117-113 win by the Boston Celtics was the best option, wrote Fedor. He was pulled with 1:36 remaining, when the game seemed out of reach for the hopeful Cavaliers to prove victorious over the league-leading Celtics.
“Just tried to make plays,” Mitchell said. “It’s this time of year. It’s time to win these games. That was my mindset. There was no coming out of the game for me. Just trying to find ways to make plays. Shots started to fall and I started attacking the basket.
“Ultimately, we’ve got two days off, get some rest, get it rehabbed and get ready for Detroit.”
Donovan Mitchell dealt with a series of groin injury issues in January stemming from a game against the New Orleans Pelicans. The All-Star guard would miss the next three games and alternate in and out of the starting lineup for the rest of the month. He went down on the final possession of a January game against the New York Knicks, saying both of his legs cramped up in a postgame press conference.
“I went up to try and dunk it, both my legs cramped and my groin just tightened and locked up on me,” Mitchell said during a postgame press conference. “Three things happened at the same time.”
Cleveland will tip off against the Detroit Pistons at 7:30 p.m. EST on Saturday in Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. The game will be broadcasted on Bally Sports Ohio.