Cleveland Cavaliers Rookie Evan Mobley Leaves Game With Ankle Sprain

The Cleveland Cavaliers are already without Jarrett Allen due to a broken finger, and they may now be without star rookie Evan Mobley too.

During the second quarter of the Cavs’ Monday night home against the Orlando Magic, Mobley landed on Orlando’s Franz Wagner and rolled his left ankle. He immediately say down on the floor and went back to the locker room with the Cavs’ medical staff. At half time, the team ruled him out for the remainder of the game with a left ankle sprain.

Kevin Love started the second half in Mobley’s place and Moses Brown, signed to a 10-day deal with Cleveland, also saw minutes with Mobley out. At the time of his injury, Mobley had scored 6 points to go along with 3 rebounds and 1 assist in 13 minutes.

If Mobley is out beyond the rest of this game, it will be a significant deal for the Cavs as they look to finish among the Eastern Conference’s top-six and out of the play-in tournament. With Allen also out, the Cavs would be without the two players who form the backbone of their defense that has been the team’s identity this season. As a result, their odds of avoiding the play-in tournament would take a significant hit if Mobley’s injury is serious. Cleveland entered Monday night as the seventh seed in the East, a game behind the Toronto Raptors, with just eight games left for each team.