Donovan Mitchell was ruled out with an ankle injury as the cavaliers vs grizzlies game arrived on the tail end of a back-to-back, and the Cavaliers entered needing one win in their four remaining games to secure home court in the first round of the playoffs.
Cleveland Cavaliers Availability Report
The Cavaliers listed Donovan Mitchell (ankle), James Harden (personal reasons), Dean Wade (ankle), Jaylon Tyson (toe), Max Strus (foot) and Thomas Bryant (calf) as out for the game; Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley and Sam Merrill were returning to the lineup. The team’s availability pushed the expected starting five to Dennis Schroder, Sam Merrill, Keon Ellis, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, a configuration that the Cavaliers deployed with a view toward managing minutes late in the season.
Memphis Grizzlies Injury Toll
The Grizzlies entered the matchup with a deep injury list: 10 players were out and two more were listed as doubtful. Memphis specifically had Ja Morant out with an elbow injury, Santi Aldama (knee) out, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (finger) out, Brandon Clarke (calf) out, Zach Edey (ankle) out, Ty Jerome (ankle) out, Jahmai Mashack (concussion) out, Scotty Pippen, Jr. (toe) out, Javon Small (thigh) out and Jaylen Wells (toe) out; Taj Gibson and Taylor Hendricks were listed as doubtful with foot and thumb injuries respectively. The Grizzlies expected to start Toby Okani, Walter Clayton Jr., Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Rayan Rupert and Taylor Hendricks.
Playoff Implication for Cavaliers
Cleveland carried a 49-29 record into the game while Memphis was 25-53, and those records framed the immediate objective: the Cavaliers needed one of their four remaining games to lock up home court advantage in the first playoff round. The teams previously met in November, when Cleveland beat Memphis 108-100; the rematch carried limited seeding drama for Memphis but high practical value for Cleveland’s rotation and minute management. The game was televised on FanDuel Sports Network Ohio, the FanDuel Sports App and NBA League Pass.
Donovan Mitchell’s absence was notable on a personal level: he was ruled out after playing in Sunday’s victory over the Indiana Pacers, a status confirmed by the Cavaliers, and that human detail highlighted the pressure on Cleveland’s rotation. The tension is clear: the Cavaliers are managing a host of injuries and absences at the same time they must secure one win from four games to guarantee home court; the Grizzlies’ long injury list compounded the matchup imbalance but did not change Cleveland’s need to close the task.
The single urgent question now is whether the Cavaliers will capture one win among their four remaining games to clinch first-round home court.
