On Monday, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on the situation with the Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell. On Sunday, Mitchell did not return in the second half of Game 4 against the Indiana Pacers. It was confirmed that he suffered a left ankle sprain and that he will be a game-time decision for Game 5.
In Game 4, the Cavaliers had a difficult time against the Pacers and had a 129-109 blowout loss. With that, the Indiana team now holds a 3-1 series lead and could advance to the Eastern Conference finals with a victory against Cleveland in Game 5.
After back-to-back games where Mitchell had more than 40 points, he couldn’t find his rhythm in Game 4. He finished with 12 points on 27.3 percent shooting from the field. The All-Star guard was highly ineffective from deep as he only made 20 percent of his five attempts.
Charania appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show” and gave an update on the Cavaliers star.
“I am told he [Donovan Mitchell] had an MRI today and he has been diagnosed essentially with a reaggravation of an ankle injury he has been dealing with,” Charania said. “It is expected that he is gonna be a game-time decision for Game 5.”
“Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, De’Andre Hunter, this is a Cavaliers team that has been absolutely ravaged by injuries at the worst possible time.”
"Donovan Mitchell had an MRI today and he has been diagnosed with a reaggravation of an ankle injury..
I'm told that he's gonna be a game-time decision for game five" ~ @ShamsCharania #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/vzgaFl8dja
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 12, 2025
The Cavaliers need Mitchell’s presence the most on Tuesday to save their season. As for the Pacers, they look to take advantage of their 3-1 lead and close the series out in Cleveland.
Cleveland Cavaliers star isn’t giving up despite being down 3-1
Following the injury to Mitchell, many fans have started to write the Cleveland Cavaliers off. Additionally, their performance in Game 4 didn’t give anyone hope that they could still make a comeback in the series.
After their blowout loss, Cavs star Darius Garland talked about his mentality as they are down 3-1 in the best-of-seven series. According to the All-Star guard, the team still believes they can make a comeback despite the deficit.
“This franchise has been down 3-1 before. This group can do it. We’ve got the talent. We’ve got the skillset. The camaraderie is always there. We just have to just go out there and play with our physicality that we played with and play our brand of basketball,” Garland said.
#Cavs Darius Garland on being down 3-1 to the Pacers:
"This franchise has been down 3-1 before. This group can do it. We've got the talent. We've got the skillset. The camaraderie is always there." pic.twitter.com/7tVIx0BUfL
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) May 12, 2025
Garland has not been available for most of the series due to an injured toe. The two-time All-Star has only appeared in two games (Games 3 and 4) and has been a non-factor as a 3-point shooter. The Cavs guard has only made three shots from deep in 12 attempts against the Pacers.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
