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Facing the prospect of an 0-2 series hole, the Cleveland Cavaliers will play the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday shorthanded.
Darius Garland (toe), Evan Mobley (ankle) and De’Andre Hunter (thumb) will all miss Game 2 due to injuries.
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Garland hasn’t played since Game 2 of Cleveland’s first-round series against the Miami Heat because of a sprained big toe. He’ll miss a fourth consecutive game on Tuesday.
Garland’s absence wasn’t as notable in the first round as Cleveland overwhelmed an outmatched Heat team without him. Game 1 against Indiana’s potent offense was a different story. Cleveland struggled to match Indiana’s firepower and posted its first loss of the playoffs with Garland on the bench.
Mobley suffered his ankle injury late in Sunday’s loss. Mobley jumped for a hook shot with Myles Turner defending him in the fourth quarter. Mobley hit the shot but landed on Turner’s left foot and rolled his left ankle.
Mobley continued to play, but was notably hobbled by his ankle. Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson made the case on Monday that Turner should have been whistled for a foul on the play that resulted in Mobley’s injury.
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“Turner contests his two-point shot, comes under — clearly under him,” Atkinson said. “Shooters need space to land. And is pushed off balance — in our opinion — and tweaks his ankle pretty bad. I think you guys saw him limping the rest of the game.”
Atkinson said that Mobley continued to play because he wanted to remain in the tightly contested game down the stretch.
“There was a big push to get him out. He wanted to stay in.
Hunter was also injured in Sunday’s game on another play that Atkinson argued warranted a whistle but didn’t draw one. He landed hard on the floor in the fourth quarter after having his dunk attempt blocked by Bennedict Mathurin and dislocated his left thumb.
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Mathurin’s block with his right hand was clean, but he shoved Turner in the chest with his left hand before the block while both players were in midair.
Mathurin was not whistled for a foul.
Like Mobley, Hunter continued to play after suffering his injury. But he won’t be available for a critical Game 2 as Cleveland looks to even up the series before it shifts to Indianapolis.
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