Cavs return All-Star guard while All-Star forward will sit against the Orlando Magic

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cavs will get their franchise face back for Sunday afternoon against the Orlando Magic.

After missing Cleveland’s last two games with left groin soreness, Donovan Mitchell will return to the hardwood in the final regular season matchup with Orlando.

But, in the same breath, Evan Mobley will sit out Sunday’s contest with a right foot contusion. The 7-footer took a hard fall during the Cavs’ latest matchup against Memphis while trying to secure a loose ball.

While the Cavs traveled to Nashville to get some much-needed reprieve and practice time, Mitchell stayed back in Cleveland to go through an individual, non-contact workout. The team feels comfortable with his progression to put him against the third-best defense in the NBA.

The Cavs have been extra cautious this season with any injury, especially while on a 16-game win streak and the first seed in the Eastern Conference.

While Mobley’s injury doesn’t seem to be more than a day-to-day absence, Cleveland will do everything in their power to ensure their All-Stars are healthy and ready for when the games begin to matter most.

“More than anything, I believe there’s health,” Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley said about the major change between the Cavs this year and last. “I think they’ve been healthy majority of the year. I think you can say a lot about that last year and this year. In our series, Jarrett Allen was out. They didn’t have Dean Wade. I think they have some pieces that are healthy this year.

“They built an unbelievable amount of continuity because they had guys on the floor. I mean, offensively, they’re doing some different things. They’re shooting the ball extremely well, finding those spaces on the floor. But again, I think when you come back down to it, it’s [about] being a healthy basketball team.”

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