Star guard Donovan Mitchell, who was out for Wednesday’s loss in Milwaukee, will miss his second straight game on Friday when the Cavaliers play at Detroit, tweets Jamal Collier of ESPN. Mitchell has a right groin strain.
The Cavs have gone 2-3 so far this season without Mitchell, a seven-time All-Star who last suited up on Tuesday vs. New York. He had 23 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals in 31 minutes in the win over the Knicks.
The 29-year-old is having another stellar season for Cleveland, averaging 28.5 points, 5.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals on .483/.369/.852 shooting splits. He has made 55 appearances so far in 2025/26 (33.5 minutes per game).
Mitchell’s new backcourt running mate James Harden is also dealing with an injury, having been diagnosed with a non-displaced fracture in his right thumb. According to Collier, Harden had his injured digit heavily wrapped when he exited the locker room on Wednesday, when he was inactive. The former MVP is questionable for Friday’s game.
Harden isn’t the only Cavs guard who has a broken finger — Keon Ellis has a fractured left index finger, per the league’s official injury report, and is questionable to play against the Pistons. Point guard Dennis Schröder and forward Dean Wade are both battling right ankle sprains and are questionable as well.
It’s worth noting that Harden’s and Ellis’ fractures are both to their non-shooting hands. It remains to be seen how the injuries will impact their performance. Ellis’ ailment likely occurred on Wednesday, as he played 29 minutes against the Bucks.
The tank contunues…