Cavs Star Donovan Mitchell To Return Vs. Pelicans After Missing Two Weeks
After spending two weeks on the sidelines with a bone bruise in his left knee, Donovan Mitchell is set to come back to the floor for the Cleveland Cavaliers as they begin a three-game road trip on Wednesday night against the New Orleans Pelicans, per Cleveland.com's Chris Fedor.
It will be Mitchell's first game since Feb. 28.
Initially, Mitchell missed two games before Cleveland announced on March 4 that he'd received a Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) injection in his knee that would hold him out for the next three games at a minimum.
After his reevaluation, Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff confirmed that he returned to practice as a limited participant during Sunday's pre-game press conference before a 120-101 loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
"He's back on the court doing court work and now it's about putting the workouts together and the responses the day after and all those things," Bickerstaff said Sunday. "So as always, we'll be patient and put him in a position to be successful.”
Mitchell's return comes at a crucial time, as Cleveland's starting unit has been hit hard by the injury bug. Max Strus is still battling a right knee strain, while Evan Mobley is sidelined with a left ankle sprain. Dean Wade remains out for personal reasons for the third straight contest.
Feb 27, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) shoots a free throw in the fourth quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
On the season, Mitchell is scoring 28.0 points per game in addition to career-high averages in assists (6.2), rebounds (5.4) and steals (1.8).
Following tonight's contest vs. the Pels, the Cavs will travel to Texas to take on the Houston Rockets on Saturday, followed by a meeting with the Indiana Pacers to conclude the trio of road games.
