Cavaliers Get Positive Injury Updates on Three Players Before Game 3 vs. Pacers

Cleveland appears ready to go.

Darius Garland celebrates a three-pointer against the Heat. / David Richard-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers will need their full complement of stars to claw back into their series against the Indiana Pacers—and it appears they will have it Friday evening.

Cavaliers guard Darius Garland, forward De'Andre Hunter and forward Evan Mobley will all return for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, according to a Friday evening report from ESPN's Shams Charania.

All three of the players missed Game 2 of the series, in which Cleveland frittered away a late lead and suffered a stunning last-second loss to the Pacers.

Garland and Mobley were both All-Stars this season, and Mobley was named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year. Hunter, a midseason acquisition from the Atlanta Hawks, had also proved a reliable piece.

All three injured Cleveland Cavaliers – Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and De'Andre Hunter – will return tonight against the Indiana Pacers in Game 3 (7:30 pm ET, ESPN), sources tell ESPN.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 9, 2025

The Cavaliers went 64-18 this season, the second-best record in the history of the franchise. They earned the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference—but their reputation as a championship contender may be on the line this weekend in Indianapolis.

---

More NBA on Sports Illustrated

feed