Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and De’Andre Hunter are all expected to play the Cleveland Cavaliers’ crucial Game 3 against the Indiana Pacers on Friday night. ESPN’s Shams Charania was first to report.
All three were missing for Cleveland’s devastating Game 2 defeat when the team led by as many as 20 points.
Cleveland looked on the verge of leveling the series at a game apiece when leading by seven points with 48 seconds remaining in Game 2. Two turnovers opened the door for Indiana and the Pacers took full advantage.
Trailing the series 2-0, the Cavs need all hands on deck to try and avoid what could be a damning 3-0 series deficit. No NBA team has ever won a best-of-seven series after falling into an 0-3 hole.
From a broader perspective, losing in the second round after clinching the top seed in the East with 64 wins would be bitter disappointment.
Game 3 is Friday night at 7:30 p.m. EST.
Cavs Have Room For Optimism
The Cavs should be encouraged by the fact they led by 20 points in Game 2, despite missing Mobley, Garland and Hunter.
Game 1 could be attributed to shooting luck. Cleveland shot an abysmal 23.7 percent beyond the arc on 38 attempts. Meanwhile, the Pacers made 52.8 percent of their 36 attempts.
There is ample evidence to believe they are the better team. Having Garland available to play for the first time in five games and the first time this series will be a huge boost.
Garland averaged 20.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.2 steals during the regular season. He also shot 40.1 percent beyond the arc.
Indiana has looked to attack Ty Jerome at every opportunity and Garland’s return will surely make both Tyrese Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard work a lot harder.
Donovan Mitchell will also breathe a huge sigh of relief after dropping 81 points over the first two games but not having a win to show for it.
Cleveland is also a team that went 30-11 on the road this season, good for the third-best road record in the league.
