Jamal CollierMay 9, 2025, 07:04 PM ET
- Jamal Collier is an NBA newsman astatine ESPN. Collier covers the Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls and the Midwest portion of the NBA, including stories specified arsenic Minnesota's iconic jersey swap betwixt Anthony Edwards and Justin Jefferson. He has been astatine ESPN since Sept. 2021 and antecedently covered the Bulls for the Chicago Tribune. You tin scope retired to Jamal connected Twitter @JamalCollier oregon via email Jamal.Collier@espn.com.
CLEVELAND -- Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and De'Andre Hunter -- the 3 Cleveland Cavaliers players who sat retired Game 2 of their second-round bid against the Indiana Pacers owed to injuries -- volition instrumentality Friday nighttime for Game 3, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania.
Cavs caput manager Kenny Atkinson said earlier the crippled that each 3 players would spell done a pregame workout earlier declaring their status.
Garland volition making his archetypal quality successful this series, but helium has not played since Game 2 of the archetypal circular connected April 23 with a sprained near toe. In his 2 playoff games, helium averaged 24 points and 7 assists connected 51% shooting (41% from 3).
Mobley and Hunter were injured during the 4th fourth of Game 1 connected abstracted plays successful which Atkinson said helium thought the interaction was excessive. Neither play was whistled for a foul.
Mobley, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, sprained his near ankle aft landing connected Pacers halfway Myles Turner aft a leap shot. Hunter sprained his close thumb aft having a layup effort blocked by Pacers defender Bennedict Mathurin.
All 3 players person been listed arsenic questionable entering Friday's game, but they besides participated successful sprout astir earlier successful the day, a measurement guardant aft not taking the tribunal earlier Game 2 connected Tuesday.
With each 3 players sidelined successful Game 2, the Cavs blew a 20-point archetypal fractional lead, including 7 points successful the last 50 seconds to autumn into an 0-2 shortage entering Friday.