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Is Donovan Mitchell playing tonight, March 6th? Cavs vs Celtics injury report UPDATE

By Josh Cornelissen

Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers. Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images
Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers. Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images /
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The Cleveland Cavaliers get a rematch against the Boston Celtics tonight. The Eastern Conference contenders continue to tighten, making this game critical in the postseason chase. Will the Cavs have their best player when the two teams face off?

Donovan Mitchell injury update (Updated February 23rd)

Note: This will be updated closer to tip-off at 7:00 pm ET with the official word on Donovan Mitchell’s injury status.

UPDATE: Jayson Tatum and Al Horford will join Robert Williams III on the bench tonight. Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart are expected to play. As of 4:30 pm ET there is no word on Donovan Mitchell’s status; he is still listed as questionable.

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Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers were in the midst of a blowout victory over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday when Mitchell clutched his left hand close to his chest. He subbed out and had his fingers taped, and while he was listed as probable to return the Cavs had such a large lead that he didn’t need to.

48 hours later, the Cavs are scheduled to host the Celtics tonight. Is Donovan Mitchell going to play? He is currently listed as questionable with a finger sprain, although Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor reported that Mitchell was at the team’s morning shootaround.

If the Cavaliers are without Mitchell and the Celtics have their full complement of stars, it will be hard for the Cavs to pull off a victory. On the other hand, they did beat the Celtics in Boston earlier this season without Darius Garland; the Cavs can weather injuries to their stars better than nearly anyone in the league.

The upside for Cleveland is that the Celtics are coming off of a late-night double-overtime thriller against the New York Knicks. Four different players broke the 40-point mark, including Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. If they play they will likely be exhausted; if they don’t play, the Cavs will be playing against a much easier foe.

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If Mitchell misses tonight’s game, it’s unlikely he will be out for an extended period. The injury is to his non-shooting hand, meaning he should be able to return to action very soon. That’s a good thing, because he is crucial to the Cavs not only maintaining their rhythm but holding off the New York Knicks for home-court advantage in the playoffs.