Cavaliers will be without a key player for Pistons matchup

The first Cleveland Cavaliers back-to-back of the season will see a familiar face absent from the lineup.

The Cavs play the Detroit Pistons (2-1) tonight, with Kenny Atkinson’s side looking to bag a third straight victory, having dropped their season opener against the New York Knicks.

It hasn’t been the most convincing of starts for Cleveland, with the team still figuring out which rotation works best, what offensive sets work with which lineup and executing a little more efficiently, having shot 48.3 percent from the floor in their first three games.

And ahead of tonight’s (Monday) game, Cleveland will add Lonzo Ball to its list of inactive players.

Ball misses the second leg of the team's back-to-back set due to left knee injury management, according to the NBA's official injury report.

Ball, whom the Cavaliers acquired in a trade that sent Isaac Okoro to the Chicago Bulls, told reporters during the offseason that he expects to play around 20 minutes per night to start the season.

He also added that his goal is to play at least 60 games this season and that in the early stages of the season, we will see more injury management absences from the eight-year veteran.

Ball has undergone multiple procedures on his left knee in recent years, including a cartilage transplant in March 2023, and said at media day that he doesn't expect to play in both halves of back-to-back sets early on in the 2025-26 campaign, according to ESPN's Tim Bontemps back in September.

As for playing back-to-backs, Ball says he doesn’t expect to play in both halves early on — he didn’t last year in Chicago when healthy — but that he could potentially start to as the season progresses, though he said it hasn’t been something he’s discussed with the Cavs yet. https://t.co/plmxectbI6
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) September 29, 2025

While Ball’s absence won't affect the Cavs starting five ahead of the game against the Pistons, he has been a steady factor off the bench thus far.

The UCLA standout averages 22.7 minutes per game this season. Ball struggled with efficiency in the Cavaliers’ first two games, shooting just 1-for-11 from the field, but has dished out a total of 14 assists, highlighting his main strengths on the offensive end.

However, he was productive in Sunday's win at home to the Bucks, amassing 11 points, six rebounds, five assists and one steal on 4-for-7 shooting.

Ball joins Darius Garland and Max Strus on the sideline. For tonight’s game, Craig Porter Jr. and rookie Tyrese Proctor will look to get increased minutes and a chance to showcase what they’re capable of.

As for Ball, his next chance to return will come in Wednesday's matchup against the so-far winless Boston Celtics on the road.