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CLEVELAND, OH - APRIL 26: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers stands on the court ... More during the fourth quarter of Game Five of the Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs against the New York Knicks at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on April 26, 2023 in Cleveland, Ohio. New York defeated Cleveland 106-95 to win the series 4-1. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
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Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers posted the second-best record in the NBA this season and earned the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
But now they are facing elimination at the hands of the Indiana Pacers and Mitchell is facing an MRI on his injured left ankle.
Mitchell injured the ankle during halftime warm-ups of the Cavs’ 129-109 blowout loss to the Pacers in Game 4 Sunday night in Indianapolis. The Pacers lead the series 3-1 with Game 5 set for Tuesday in Cleveland.
“Left ankle injury, he’ll get an MRI [Monday],” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson told reporters of Mitchell, who scored 12 points in the first half when the Cavs trailed by 41 at the break.
He added: “No idea [how bad it is]
, obviously he couldn’t go in the second half so see what the MRI says.”
Mitchell is making $35.4 million this season and is due to earn $48.8 million next year.
The Pacers built a 44-point lead before settling for an 80-39 halftime margin that matched the league’s previous best since detailed play-by-play was kept, set by the Cavs in Game 2 of the 2017 Eastern Conference finals against Boston.
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