Cleveland Cavaliers Forward Exits Game With Knee Injury

Isaac Okoro suffers a knee contusion in the Cleveland Cavaliers' victory over the Denver Nuggets.

Nov 27, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro (35) celebrates his three-point basket in the first quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

Just when the Cleveland Cavaliers thought they were starting to get healthier, they lost their starting small forward with a knee injury.

Isaac Okoro was in the starting lineup on Thursday night against the Denver Nuggets but did not return in the second half with what the team is calling a "left knee contusion."

#Cavs Isaac Okoro is OUT for the remainder of the game with a left knee contusion.

— Chris Fedor (@ChrisFedor) December 6, 2024

It wasn't totally clear when Okoro suffered the injury, but he never came out of the locker room for the second half.

Ice had only played 11 minutes and attempted two shots before exiting the game. He did connect on one of the three-pointers, but Okoro's impact did not seem to be what he typically contributes.

Okoro missed two games at the end of November with an ankle sprain he suffered in a Cavaliers win over the Charlotte Hornets. It didn't look like that injury had any lingering effects on him, so hopefully, this one doesn't either.

Nov 13, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro (35) controls the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers in the third quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Okoro may not be the leading scorer on the Cavaliers, and he may not be their first option on offense either. He's only averaging 6.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists while shooting an efficient 47.8 percent from behind the floor and 46.2 percent from behind the arc.

However, he does provide a critical defensive presence on the perimeter that Cleveland has missed when he's out.

Postgame Update:

Kenny Atkinson did provide an encouraging update about Okoro's status after the game. Atkinson said, "He told me it's nothing important," and didn't seem to be concerned about the injury at all.

It sounds like Cleveland escaped another injury scare with some good news, and hopefully Okoro will be back in the lineup on Saturday.