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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell is out for Sunday night’s home game against the Charlotte Hornets for rest, according to the team’s official injury report.
Mitchell is averaging 24.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists through 14 starts.
His absence will make it more difficult for the Cavaliers to stretch their season-opening record to 15-0 and mark one of the four best season starts in NBA history.
Mitchell is shooting 46.9 percent from the field and 42.1 percent from behind the arc, while contributing 1.5 steals per game on deefense.
Most recently he recorded a season-high 37 points in order to help the Cavaliers open NBA Cup group play with a 144-126 win over the Chicago Bulls on Friday.
Mitchell currently leads the Cavaliers with a 30.3 usage percentage. Both Caris LeVert and Ty Jerome will likely receive more minutes in order to make up for his absence.
LeVert, who has been leading the Cavs’ bench with 12.4 points per game through 12 appearances, could get the nod to start on Monday against the Hornets.
Mitchell suffered a lingering left knee injury that visibly limited him during the second half of the 2023-24 season. He appeared in just 55 games during the campaign.
After coming on and off the active roster sporadically since the 2024 All-Star break, Mitchell returned for the postseason only to miss the final two contests of the Cavaliers’ six-game series loss to the Boston Celtics with a strained left calf in the second round.
The Cavaliers could hope giving the star guard a chance to rest early in the season will prevent similar limitations this season.
The day off will also give Mitchell the chance to return rested to face the defending champion Boston Celtics on the road as NBA Cup play resumes on Tuesday. Mitchell heads into the contest having averaged 29.6 points through 16 career starts against the Celtics.
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