. Donovan Mitchell, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ star shooting guard, left Sunday night’s game against the Sacramento Kings after hurting his left ankle in the third quarter, leaving Cavs fans on edge. However, concerns about a serious injury were quickly alleviated when he returned to action after a brief trip to the locker room.
Mitchell and the Cavs lost 120-113 against Zach LaVine and the Kings at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, completing a 2-0 regular-season sweep. At the very least, the Cavs can be relieved by Mitchell’s comments regarding his ankle following Cleveland’s loss to Sacramento.
“Never been better,” the former Louisville Cardinals player stated when asked if he be able to give it a go this coming Tuesday against the Chicago Bulls at home (h/t Evan Dammarell). “I’m going to let tomorrow be tomorrow and work from there,” the 28-year-old Mitchell continued.
Mitchell topped all Cavs starters in the Kings game with 19 points on 7-for-16 shooting from the floor. He struggled from behind the arc, connecting on only one of his six 3-point attempts, but he did finish with six assists, six rebounds, and two steals in 33 minutes.
Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson didn’t appear concerned about Mitchell twisting his ankle against the Kings, saying he feels the six-time NBA All-Star is fine after seeing the guard play in the fourth quarter.
Mitchell averages 24.0 points, 5.0 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game this season, with a field goal percentage of 44.3 and a 3-point percentage of 36.8.
Cleveland might take a careful approach with Mitchell and rest him for the remainder of the regular season; but, it’s worth noting that the Cavaliers have yet to secure the Eastern Conference’s top seed. If Cleveland wins or the Boston Celtics lose, the Cavaliers will be the Eastern Conference’s top seed.
The Cavaliers can’t afford to lose any of their final four games if they want to tie the franchise record for most regular-season victories. LeBron James and the Cavaliers set the record in 2008-09, going 66-16.
