Cavaliers Fined for Resting Stars Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley at Heat

Cleveland ran afoul of the Player Participation Policy.

Donovan Mitchell (left) and Evan Mobley (center) sat out the Cavaliers' win over the Heat Wednesday. / David Richard-Imagn Images

The Cavaliers' 130–116 win over the Heat Wednesday was notable not for who played but for who didn't, as Cleveland triumphed despite sitting guard Donovan Mitchell and forward Evan Mobley.

Unfortunately Cavaliers, their resting Mitchell and Mobley violated the NBA's Player Participation Policy—and on Tuesday, they paid a steep price as the NBA hit them with a $100,000 fine.

The policy, now in its third year of existence, mandates that teams "manage (their rosters) to ensure that no more than one star player is unavailable for the same game" and "maintain a balance between the number of one-game absences for a star player in home and road games."

Mitchell, 29, has played in 13 of Cleveland's 15 games this season. Mobley, 24, has played in 14. The two players are averaging 30.9 and 18.9 points per game, respectively, as the Cavaliers have jumped out to a 10-5 start.

Cleveland is scheduled to host the Rockets, Pacers and Clippers to close out the week on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, respectively.

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