NBA

Porter has not appeared in a game since Cleveland’s regular-season finale, and his absence has not impacted the rotation. That remains the case for Game 5, with the Cavaliers trailing three games to one.

The Cavaliers face long odds to extend their season, as Allen is one of three rotation players ruled out for Game 5. Donovan Mitchell and Caris LeVert are also out for Wednesday’s game. With Allen sidelined, Evan Mobley will continue to serve as the starting center for the Cavaliers.

After injuring his knee during Monday’s Game 4 defeat, LeVert will miss what could be Cleveland’s final game of the season. He joins Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen on the sideline, with Isaac Okoro and Dean Wade moving into the starting lineup. Sam Merrill will also play more minutes, as Cleveland lacks healthy options heading into Game 5.

The status update is unsurprising, given that it was reported on Wednesday afternoon that Mitchell was expected to miss a second consecutive game. With Caris LeVert also out, Dean Wade moves into the starting lineup, and Isaac Okoro shifts from the four to the three.

Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, and Caris LeVert are all out for Game 5, which could be Cleveland’s final game of the season. Due to those absences, Okoro and Wade will start, which also puts more pressure on Garland, Strus, and Mobley to produce on offense.

While Minnesota’s inability to defend Nikola Jokic was the biggest storyline in Game 5, Conley’s absence was also impactful. Nickeil Alexander-Walker moved into the starting lineup and was solid, but not having Conley on the court negatively impacted Anthony Edwards. Edwards had his worst game of the series, shooting 5-of-15 from the field and committing four turnovers. With Minnesota’s season on the line, they desperately need a healthy Conley on the court for Thursday night.

Murray continues to appear on the injury report, but the Nuggets point guard has yet to miss a game this postseason. Expect to see him on the court for Game 6 as the reigning champs look to close out the series. If not, Reggie Jackson will ascend into the starting lineup.

Mitchell missed Game 4, and now he is on track to miss Game 5. Recent rumors suggest that multiple teams will be interested in trading for Mitchell this summer, so unless the short-handed Cavs are able to pull off an upset in Boston on Wednesday, there is a chance that Mitchell has played his final game for Cleveland. Caris LeVert should remain in the starting unit in his place on Wednesday.

Minnesota played Game 5 without Mike Conley, who was sidelined by a sore right Achilles. That placed even more responsibility on Edwards’ shoulders, which may not have been a good thing. Ant-Man did dish out a team-high nine assists, but he was also responsible for four turnovers while shooting 33.3% from the field. Aggression is never an issue for Edwards, but shouldering the offensive workload is considerably easier when he has his reliable sidekick on the court. Game 6 is on Thursday night in Minneapolis.

Already playing without Mike Conley (Achilles), the Timberwolves experienced an injury scare with Towns during the first half of Tuesday’s game. He appeared to bang his knee on the leg of Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who lost his balance while closing out on the Timberwolves big. Towns did have to exit the game, but only briefly, as he returned after spending a few minutes on the exercise bike. The 23 points are the most KAT has scored in a game since Game 2 (27 points). However, his minus-17 rating was the worst among the Timberwolves who saw action on Tuesday. Towns will need to be better in Game 6 on Thursday if Minnesota is to force a Game 7.