Donovan Mitchell Highlights Lengthy List of Cavs Players Missing for Hawks Clash

The Cleveland Cavaliers will play their final regular-season road game tonight (Friday) against the Atlanta Hawks, and understandably, some key players will be in street clothes.

With the playoffs a week away, head coach Kenny Atkinson appears to be focusing on postseason matters while keeping his bench players sharp, as they will see extended minutes against a team they are likely to face on April 18.

Who’s missing tonight?

The Cavaliers will be without Donovan Mitchell (right ankle injury management), Jarrett Allen (right knee injury management), and Sam Merrill (left hamstring injury management). This comes in addition to Thomas Bryant, who is out with a left calf strain.

Cleveland didn’t rely on a traditional game plan in their win on Wednesday, and there’s reason to think they may take a similar approach again, albeit with fewer key contributors available.

"I think both teams were trying to send a message in this first one," said Mitchell, who finished with 31 points in the 122-116 success. "It's not the playoffs yet, but that was playoff intensity that you could feel in the arena. It was live."

At this stage of the season, no player is fully healthy, but it’s worth noting that both Allen and Merrill have recently been playing through injuries.

Allen hasn’t quite looked like himself since returning from a knee issue that sidelined him for several weeks. After returning, he acknowledged that he was still experiencing some discomfort.

Given his importance to Cleveland’s playoff ambitions, it would be understandable if the team opts to give him additional rest ahead of the postseason.

Merrill has also been managing multiple injuries throughout the season, with the hamstring issue being the one currently listed on the injury report.

As for Mitchell, it’s unclear how significant his injury is compared to the others. He rolled his ankle on Sunday in the win over the Indiana Pacers, but has since said he isn’t dealing with anything serious. Even so, resting a star player in this situation is a reasonable precaution.

While the Cavs can afford to rest players, it’s a different story for Atlanta, as they still have a playoff spot to play for.

Currently tied for fifth, the Hawks must win one of their final two games in order to clinch a playoff berth. Falling out of the top six - and into the play-in tournament - is a worry.

"If we can get in the playoffs, I don't think we care who we play," said Atlanta coach Quin Snyder.

"We just want to get in there, truly. We've got a new group since midseason. Let's see what we can do."

The Toronto Raptors are level with the Hawks, but the Raptors have the tiebreaker edge. Orlando Magic is a game back of the Hawks, who would win a tiebreaker over the Magic.

If Atlanta remains in fifth, it likely would face the Cavaliers in the first round.