Will Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland Play Tonight vs Heat? Cavs Injury Report Ahead of Playoff Opener

The Cleveland Cavaliers were the best team in the East this regular season. With 64 wins and a 78% win percentage in a conference that has the reigning champs, it’s hard to deny that. And Donovan Mitchell was their best player. But now, we’re in the postseason. And things are about to get really heated in Cleveland.

Well, what we’re getting at is that this first round will not be easy for the Cavs. They will face a hungry Miami Heat team who are fresh off wins against the Chicago Bulls and the Atlanta Hawks. But will the Cavaliers be at full strength to face Miami tonight? Let’s see if their injury gives us any clues about the status of their stars.

Cleveland Cavaliers Injury Report – Will Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland play tonight?

Donovan Mitchell suffered an ankle injury in the Cavs’ loss against the Sacramento Kings on April 6. He managed to return to that game. However, he would later be shut down for the remaining games by the Cavs. Similarly, Darius Garland also missed two of the final three games of the Cavs’ regular season after a left toe injury. Now, if both are still injured, the Cavs have some serious problems. Let’s just put it this way: if the Cavs’ offense is usually akin to a lion, without this duo, they’re closer to a defanged and declawed house cat.

So, it will please Cleveland fans to know that neither Darius Garland nor Donovan Mitchell is on the Cavs’ injury report for their Playoff opener tonight. In fact, do you know who’s on the Cavs’ injury report for tonight? LITERALLY NO ONE. The Cleveland Cavaliers have not submitted an injury report for tonight because they have no injured players.. No, not even a single bench player or prospect.

Feb 20, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guards Darius Garland (10) and Donovan Mitchell (45) react during the second half against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images

With all of the options in the roster at his disposal, Kenny Atkinson certainly won’t sweat picking his lineup for this game. So let’s see who he might pick for this game.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Miami Heat – predicted starting lineup and depth chart

Head coach Kenny Atkinson will be glad to have Donovan Mitchell back in the lineup. After all, the Cavs did go 2-2 in their final 4 games of the season as he remained sidelined. So, having them back will be a boost to both morale and how they play. So here’s who Atkinson may go with after the return of Garland and Mitchell to game fitness.

POSITION	STARTER	2nd UNIT	3rd UNIT
PG	Darius Garland	Ty Jerome	Donovan Mitchell
SG	Donovan Mitchell	Sam Merrill	Max Strus
SF	Max Strus	De’Andre Hunter	Issac Okoro
PF	Evan Mobley	Dean Wade	De’Andre Hunter
C	Jarrett Allen	Evan Mobley	Tristan Thompson

With a squad as stacked as the one above, the Miami Heat will struggle to beat the Cavs. And this was proven true in the regular season after the Cavs won the season series 2-1 against the Heat. However, if you go back a little further, the Heat actually have the 12-8 edge over the Cavs in their last 20 games against each other.

However, every game is different. And this one promises to be an epic series between LeBron James’ former clubs. But who do you think will come out on top tonight and start the series off with a win? Let us know!

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