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The Cleveland Cavaliers are suddenly down 2-0 against the Indiana Pacers. The injury bug has not been kind to Cleveland, which is the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Cavs were without each of Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and De'Andre Hunter in Game 2, so there is definitely some concern with their status going forward.
On Thursday, Kenny Atkinson gave an update on their statuses, per Leah Doherty.
"It was shootaround. They all touched the ball, they all got some reps...They kind of participated in the walk-through, and you know, hoping for the best."
"I think it's frustrating for all of us...Injuries are a tough thing. You don't really know unless you experience it yourself."
Joe Vardon of Athletic revealed there is "optimism" for the Cavs.
"There is optimism that all three of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ injured star players, including All-Star guard Darius Garland, who has missed the last four games, will try to play Game 3 Friday against the Indiana Pacers, two league sources told The Athletic."
One source also told Vardon “I don’t think he has a choice" regarding Garland's status.
Mobley and Hunter did play Game 1 in the 121-112 loss, but all three of them were absent in Game 2 as Tyrese Haliburton's buzzer-beater gave the Pacers the win.
In Game 2, Donovan Mitchell did the heavy lifting with 48 points and nine assists as Max Strus (23) and Jarrett Allen (22) helped carry the load, albeit in a losing effort.
Game 3 is on Friday night, and the series shifts back to Indiana, so there is a lot of pressure around the organization right now.
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