Is Donovan Mitchell playing tonight? Cavs vs Pistons injury update

The Cleveland Cavaliers fell short yet again against an Eastern Conference contender on Wednesday night, with a furious comeback falling just short against the Boston Celtics. The game may have come with another loss, as Donovan Mitchell appeared to reaggravate his groin injury from earlier in the season.

With the Detroit Pistons coming to town tonight, is the Cavs’ best player going to suit up?

Donovan Mitchell injury update (Updated February 23rd)

Note: This will be updated closer to tip-off at 7:30 pm ET if there is any change in Donovan Mitchell’s injury status.

Mitchell was clearly in pain during the second half of the game against the Celtics, and in the aftermath of the game was noncommittal about whether he would miss any time.

Thankfully for Mitchell and Cavaliers fans, it looks like having an extra day to rest helped the injury heal. Mitchell was a full participant at practice on Friday, and in the most recent version of the Cavs’ injury report, he was not listed at all.

The fact that Mitchell is a full-go does not mean that he will be at 100 percent. This injury has been recurring, again and again, all year, and at times it has sapped his explosion and lateral movement while not keeping him off the court. Not having a full Mitchell may not matter against the Detroit Pistons tonight, but it certainly could against the Celtics on Monday or the Miami Heat later on this next week.

The groin injury, first suffered back in January, has caused Mitchell to miss a handful of games this year. That included the Cavs’ last game against the Pistons, when the Cavaliers earned the win despite missing both Darius Garland and Mitchell. Tonight it appears the Cavs will be at full strength, as not a single player is listed on the injury report.

Will any Detroit Pistons players be out injured tonight?

The injury report for the Detroit Pistons is quite long, however, further hamstringing one of the worst teams in the league. Cade Cunningham, of course, is out for the year after undergoing leg surgery in December. Additionally, many of the Pistons’ best offensive players are listed as out, including Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic. Centers Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren are also expected to miss the game.

That thinning of the Pistons’ rotation will almost certainly make tonight’s outcome a fait accompli. Hopefully, Cleveland can get out to a large lead and rest their stars in the fourth quarter, giving run to the newly-signed Sam Merrill and letting Mitchell ease the load on his groin.

Donovan Mitchell looks all set to play tonight, as does the entire Cavaliers roster. They can only hope that health continues in the games ahead as the Cavs jockey for playoff positioning and the jewel of hosting a first-round playoff series.