Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen is questionable for Monday night’s game in Charlotte with a right knee contusion, according to the NBA’s Sunday evening injury report, Heavy reported — the first opening for his return after he missed both games of the Cavaliers’ weekend back-to-back.
Allen was hurt on Wednesday against Oklahoma City, when he collided knee-to-knee with Thunder guard Jared McCain while setting a screen, Heavy reported. He left in the first quarter after seven minutes and did not return.
Cleveland first listed Allen as questionable for Friday’s NBA Cup game against Philadelphia before ruling him out less than an hour before tipoff, then ruled him out again for Saturday’s game against New York, according to Heavy. The Cavaliers beat the 76ers but fell 109-97 to the Knicks on Saturday to sit at 5-5.
The weekend showed what Allen’s absence costs. New York scored 26 second-chance points to Cleveland’s eight on Saturday, according to the NBA’s official game book cited by Heavy. Head coach Kenny Atkinson started Evan Mobley at center against Philadelphia, where Mobley had 22 points and six rebounds and Thomas Bryant added 13 points and six rebounds off the bench, per the box score cited by Heavy.
Allen is not Cleveland’s only absence. Sam Merrill is out for right elbow injury management, Jaylon Tyson has a right ankle sprain and Nae’Qwan Tomlin is out with a low back stress reaction, Heavy reported from the injury report. Charlotte has its own frontcourt questions, with Moussa Diabaté questionable and Grant Williams ruled out, according to Heavy.
Donovan Mitchell did the heavy lifting without Allen on Saturday, leading Cleveland with 37 points in the loss to New York, according to the New York Post’s game report. The Knicks’ Jalen Brunson scored 31 and Karl-Anthony Towns powered New York inside — the kind of frontcourt production Allen’s rim protection and rebounding are meant to answer.
Monday’s 7 p.m. tipoff opens a three-game road trip for Cleveland, which continues to New York — and a rematch with the Knicks team that just beat the Cavaliers on the glass — and then Miami.
What happens next: Allen’s status will be settled closer to tipoff in Charlotte. If he plays, Atkinson can reunite his two-big frontcourt of Allen and Mobley; if he sits for a third straight game, Bryant and Mobley will again carry the center minutes against the Hornets.
Photo: Erik Drost, CC BY