Cavaliers' Donovan Mitchell gets worrying injury update

The Cleveland Cavaliers dropped the first game of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Indiana Pacers, 121-112, on Sunday. The Cavs swept the Miami Heat in four games, but the Pacers started off with a win despite the game being in Cleveland. 

All five Indiana starters finished in double figures while the Cavs saw Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell combine for 53 points in the loss. 

Mitchell scored 33 points, although he shot 12-of-30 and just 1-of-11 from 3-point land. Mitchell was clearly hampered in Game 1, as Ethan Sands of Cleveland.com mentioned. 

"After dropping 12 points in the third quarter to pull Cleveland within two, Mitchell faded in the fourth. He was visibly grabbing his knee on multiple possessions. He lagged in transition, not out of laziness, but self-preservation. He was conserving energy, because 30-shot nights in May don’t come cheap — especially when you’re chasing pace and creating every shot on the other end. This is the scenario the Cavs spent all season trying to avoid."

It's a problematic sign for the Cavs. Mitchell played just 31:26 minutes per game, the lowest of his career, while playing in 71 of 82 regular season games. The Cavs had limited him intentionally in order to keep him as fresh as possible for the playoffs. 

In the series against the Heat, Mitchell attempted more than 20 shots just once, which came in Game 2, so it will be interesting to see if the Cavs need to rely on him more in this series, or if it was just a fluke in Game 1. 

Only time will tell, but Mitchell grabbing his knee is not what the Cavs or the fans want to see. 

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