3 Cavaliers injured, playing status for game 2 unclear
Darius Garland is battling a toe injury that forced him to miss the Cavaliers last three playoff games.
In addition, De'Andre Hunter and Evan Mobley also suffered injuries in Sunday's 121-112 loss to the Pacers in game one of the series.
Hunter suffered a dislocated thumb while Mobley injured his ankle.
Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson told reporters on Monday that all three players are listed as questionable, but he also used the term 'doubtful' for game two of the series.
Indiana leads the best-of-seven series 1-0. Game two is set for Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. at Rocket Arena.
The game will be televised exclusively on TNT/truTV.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
4 hours ago
- USA Today
Saliou Niang nears double-double with Italy in EuroBasket exhibition loss
Age: 0. #EuroBasket x @Italbasket Cleveland Cavaliers draft pick Saliou Niang on Thursday neared a double-double with Italy in an exhibition loss to Latvia ahead of the 2025 FIBA EuroBasket Championship. Niang produced six points, 10 rebounds, one assist and one steal in the 83-68 loss at the Telekom Center Athens in Greece. He went 3-of-4 from the field in nearly 15 minutes of action as Italy dropped to 4-1 in its six-game preparation schedule. Matteo Spagnolo led Italy with 17 points, Momo Diouf scored 14 points and Simone Fontecchio added nine points in the match. The group shot just 11.8% from 3-point range (2-of-17) and trailed by as many as 20 points in the fourth quarter. Niang was the 58th pick in the 2025 NBA draft after averaging 7.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists on 51.3% shooting from the field last season with Dolomiti Energia Trento. He helped the team to the Italian Cup and was the Italian Lega A Most Improved Player. The Senegalese-Italian forward played with the Cavaliers in the NBA Summer League, averaging 7.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists in three games. He is expected to play next season with Virtus Bologna after signing with the team on July 16. Niang and Italy wrap up their exhibition run on Friday against Greece before facing them to open the 42nd edition of the European tournament on Aug. 28 in Cyprus.
USA Today
8 hours ago
- USA Today
Why Celtics legend Paul Pierce believes Jayson Tatum will come back strong from injury
The road to recovery could be a long one for Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum. However, another Celtics great, 10-time All-Star Paul Pierce, believes that Tatum is up for the challenge and fully capable of returning to full strength. Late in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Knicks, Tatum suffered an Achilles tear that ruled him out for the rest of the series. And although the Celtics haven't officially shut him down for the 2025-26 season, it doesn't seem likely that he'll see the court over the next several months. Yet, none of that shook Pierce's confidence, as the 2008 NBA Finals MVP shared his thoughts on Tatum's rehab process with New England Patriots Hall of Famer Julian Edelman on the "Games With Names" podcast. "Usually an Achilles injury will take you a whole year to get back to work," Pierce told the former wide receiver. "After a whole year, you start getting back. I mean, we got cases of it — Paul George, (Kevin Durant) — they looked good after they came back from an Achilles (injury). So I'm not worried about him getting back to where he was before he got hurt." Despite Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George and Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant both suffering brutal injuries in their primes, both future Hall of Famers remain in the league. Plus, Durant was over 30 years old when he tore his Achilles and still managed to get back to his old self. Tatum hasn't even turned 28, which bodes well for his injury maintenance. Regardless of age, recovering from an Achilles injury is a grueling ordeal that requires daily work. But, if Tatum has shown anything during his impressive career, it's that he's willing to do whatever it takes to play the game he loves. Listen to "Havlicek Stole the Pod" on: Spotify: iTunes: YouTube:
Associated Press
14 hours ago
- Associated Press
Virginia's Tony Elliott is looking for a step forward with a reworked roster in his 4th season
Tony Elliott has spent his first three seasons at Virginia focused on building a long-term winner. He's hoping this year provides the return on that investment. The Cavaliers (5-7) are still waiting for their first bowl appearance under Elliott, who took over for the 2022 season after working on Dabo Swinney's staff at Clemson. Elliott is banking on a reworked roster to offer better depth to help change that as pressure increases for a clear step forward, noting that the team held a lead in nine of its 12 games last year. 'I knew that we were trying to build something here and that it would take time,' Elliott said at the start of preseason camp. Elliott has gone 11-23 in three seasons, including 6-17 in league play. Last year's team flirted with bowl eligibility and hit five wins in the first half of November, but lost its last three games — two against College Football Playoff teams Notre Dame and SMU, the capper at rival Virginia Tech — while trailing by at least 24 in each. Elliott pointed to the roster having 54 new players, including 32 transfers in a haul that 247Sports ranks as the Atlantic Coast Conference's fourth-best transfer infusion. Still, Virginia lost 14 offensive and defensive starters and is picked to finish 14th in the 17-team ACC race. 'We feel like we targeted the right guys,' Elliott said. 'We addressed some needs that we had from a body-type standpoint, some length, some speed at specific positions, but in particular in the trenches. ... I'm very hopeful.' Outside motivation? Elliott said he wold 'try to poke and prod' the players a bit with the Cavaliers' projected ACC standing. 'We're not going to let that poll define us,' Elliott said. 'And we darn sure aren't going to let people make us think less of ourselves. Because, man, we know what we're working towards.' Morris' arrival The transfer haul includes quarterback Chandler Morris, who is attending his fourth school in a six-season run that began in 2020 during the pandemic. He spent that first year at Oklahoma, followed by three seasons with nine starts at TCU. Last year, Morris threw for 3,774 yards and 31 touchdowns against 12 interceptions while also running for four scores at North Texas. 'I think being at different stops and being around many different teammates has really helped me,' Morris said. 'And I think my experience, not just the success but also the adversity that I've faced, I've been able to really connect more with my teammates.' Longer-term struggles Virginia's struggles go back long before Elliott's slow start. The Cavaliers are 62-94 overall and 36-68 in league play going back to the 2012 season, with the 62 wins marking the lowest of any current ACC member outside of last year's additions of SMU, California and Stanford. Virginia won 17 games in 2018 and 2019 under Bronco Mendenhall, including a trip to ACC title game in the latter year. Those mark the only two seasons that Virginia has surpassed the six-win mark in those 13 seasons. The schedule The Cavaliers open at home against Coastal Carolina (Aug. 28) before visiting longtime ACC member N.C. State (Sept. 6) in a nonconference game that won't count in the league standings as it was added outside the conference's scheduling model. Virginia's official ACC opener is at Stanford (Sept. 20) followed by a visit from Florida State (Sept. 26). There's also a midseason visit from Washington State (Oct. 18). The Cavaliers have their first cross-country ACC trip to California (Nov. 1) and close against instate rival Virginia Tech (Nov. 29). ___ AP college football: and
