Is Donovan Mitchell playing tonight? Cavs vs Pistons injury report (UPDATED)

The Cleveland Cavaliers are riding a three-game win streak, winning by an average 19 points to propel them back up to fourth in the Eastern Conference. They hope to continue the win streak tonight against the Detroit Pistons, but will they have Donovan Mitchell available to help them towards that goal?

Donovan Mitchell injury update (Updated February 8th)

Update 6:10 pm: Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland are both OUT for tonight’s game. Raul Neto and Caris LeVert will start in their place. Suddenly, the game tonight gets much closer.

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Donovan Mitchell has been dealing with a groin injury for weeks now, missing a few games last month and spending a lot of time on the injury report. He is back on it today, and as of 1:00 PM ET he is listed as QUESTIONABLE for tonight’s game:

Darius Garland‘s presence on the injury report, as reported by Chris Fedor above, is likewise a concern. He suffered a thumb injury earlier in the season that has bothered him from time to time. If both Mitchell and Garland are out tonight, the Cavs go from easy favorites against the Pistons to engaging in a rock fight.

One of the best parts of having a pair of on-ball perimeter stars is that the Cavaliers have a ready-made replacement for whenever one misses a game. Many of Mitchell’s best games have come without Garland in the lineup, and vice versa. Caris LeVert elevates into the starting lineup and the Cavs can usually play at a high level.

Wiping out both is a different story. The Cavs would likely start Ricky Rubio and Caris LeVert in the backcourt, and Raul Neto would dust off his jersey and step into the rotation. Perhaps Kevin Love would get time to help inject floor-spacing into the lineup.

We’ll update this piece closer to tip-off with an update on their availability. Whatever happens tonight, the reality is that the Cavaliers are mostly healthy, playing well and ready to push for a high seed by season’s end.