The Cleveland Cavaliers travel to Louisiana on Saturday night to face the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center, with injuries potentially affecting both rotations ahead of the 7:00 PM ET tipoff.
Cleveland enters the game at 43-27, sitting fourth in the Eastern Conference and coming off consecutive road wins against the Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks.
The Cavaliers defeated Chicago 115-110 on March 19 and previously handled Milwaukee 123-116 on March 17, continuing a push to secure home-court advantage in the opening round of the playoffs.
Cleveland’s injury report is headlined by Donovan Mitchell, who is listed as questionable with a left eye contusion. Mitchell has been the team’s primary scorer this season, averaging 28.0 points, 5.9 assists and 4.5 rebounds across 61 games while shooting 47.9% from the field.
Jarrett Allen will not play due to right knee tendonitis, removing one of Cleveland’s key interior anchors. Allen has averaged 15.3 points and 8.5 rebounds this season while shooting 63.6% from the field and protecting the rim in the Cavaliers’ frontcourt rotation.
Jaylon Tyson is listed as doubtful with a left great toe sprain after appearing in 64 games this season. The wing has averaged 13.1 points while shooting 45.5% from three-point range, giving Cleveland a perimeter scoring option alongside Mitchell.
Several additional Cavaliers players will remain unavailable. Craig Porter Jr. is out with a left groin strain, Tyrese Proctor is sidelined with a right quadricep strain, and two-way players Tristan Enaruna and Olivier Sarr are on G League assignments.
If Mitchell cannot play, Cleveland may rely more heavily on James Harden. Harden has averaged 20.9 points and 7.7 assists in 16 games with the Cavaliers this season while shooting 45.0% from three-point range.
Evan Mobley is also expected to carry a larger offensive role in the frontcourt. Mobley is averaging 18.3 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks while playing more than 32 minutes per game.
New Orleans enters Saturday’s matchup with a 25-46 record and sits 11th in the Western Conference, though the team has won three straight games.
The Pelicans recently swept a two-game set against the Los Angeles Clippers, winning 124-109 on March 18 and 105-99 the following night.
New Orleans’ injury list is shorter but still includes several absences. Bryce McGowens is out with a fractured right small toe after appearing in 42 games this season and averaging 8.1 points in 21 minutes per game.
Three Pelicans two-way players will also miss the game due to G League assignments: Trey Alexander, Hunter Dickinson and Josh Oduro.
Despite the injuries, New Orleans continues to rely on Trey Murphy III and Zion Williamson as primary scoring options. Murphy leads the Pelicans with 22.0 points per game while shooting 38.6% from three-point range, and Williamson is averaging 21.3 points while shooting 59.6% from the field.
The teams met once earlier this season, when Cleveland recorded a 141-118 victory on Dec. 23.
