6:30pm: The Cavaliers announced (via Twitter) that Mobley will be reevaluated in approximately one week.
3:19pm: Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley is expected to be sidelined for an extended period after spraining his left ankle on Tuesday against the Celtics, league sources tell Shams Charania, Joe Vardon, and Jason Lloyd of The Athletic.
As The Athletic’s reporters note, the Cavs haven’t issued a formal update on Mobley’s status beyond ruling him out for Wednesday’s contest in Atlanta. An official timeline likely won’t be determined until the “significant” swelling of his ankle has subsided, per Charania, Vardon, and Lloyd.
However, one source tells The Athletic that “it will be some time” before Mobley is able to return, while another said he’ll be “out a while.”
Mobley suffered the injury in the third quarter on Tuesday when he landed awkwardly following a made dunk (video link via NBA.com). He reportedly left the arena on crutches after the Cavaliers erased a 22-point deficit and completed a dramatic comeback win over the NBA’s top team.
It’s discouraging news for a third-year big man who already missed a month-and-a-half earlier this season due to a separate injury. Mobley underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and was unavailable for 22 consecutive games in December and January.
In the 38 games he has been played, Mobley has been a key part of Cleveland’s starting lineup, averaging 15.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 31.1 minutes per night.
With Mobley on the shelf, Jarrett Allen will once again take on more responsibilities in the Cavs’ frontcourt, as he did earlier in the year. Dean Wade, who was a major factor in Tuesday’s comeback with 20 points in the fourth quarter, is another candidate for an increased role.
As a Cav’s fan all I can say is you have got to be kidding me. Then again when I look at how injuries have affected the Knicks season it’s hard to be all that upset. We thrived while Mobley and Garland were out of action in December and January. That said we still had Donovan Mitchell available in most of those games. Right now we can’t be certain on when or if he will return. Last night against the Celtics Mobley’s injury is what led to the amazing come from behind victory. There’s no way Dean Wade would have been on the floor enough to score 20 in the 4th quarter if Mobley was healthy. That said Mobley still played in the First half .Meaning the rest of the team wasn’t winded. Tonight against the Hawks on the end of a back to back they overcame a 21 point deficit in the 3rd quarter to take the lead by the end of the quarter. Unfortunately they Then ran out of gas and got beat by another shorthanded team in the 4th quarter. With 3 starters out the question has to be how soon will the cavalry get back from the infirmary?