The Cleveland Cavaliers announced Monday that All-Star center Jarrett Allen will miss time with a fractured finger. No timetable was set for his return, but an extended absence has the potential to cripple what has been a dream season for the Cavs.
Allen suffered the injury early in Cleveland’s game against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday, a game the Cavs were fortunate to win as it gave them a three-game cushion over Toronto for the sixth seed. But it was also just their second win in the last eight games.
In less than a month, the Cavaliers have slipped from fighting for home-court advantage in the playoffs to one spot away from the play-in tournament. Now, they have to tread water without an integral part of their team, just the latest injury in a season full of them.
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) March 7, 2022
The Cavs’ first test without Allen will be Tuesday’s game against the Indiana Pacers, a team they should still be able to beat. The first of a three-game road trip, Cleveland is favored by 3.5 points on Tipico Sportsbook. Things get more difficult after that, however, with games against the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls. Then they go home to play the Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers and Denver Nuggets.
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That’s a five-game stretch that includes three of East’s best, a playoff team in the West and another likely headed for the Western Conference play-in tournament. While the Cavs aren’t likely to be caught by the slumping Raptors, who also have a tough upcoming schedule, they won’t make up much ground on the teams ahead of them either. Not without Allen.
Allen also got kneed in the quad tonight during Cleveland’s win over Toronto, but was diagnosed with a broken finger that will now require further evaluation and sideline the star center. https://t.co/cxXy2MaBia
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 7, 2022
Allen is fourth in the NBA in win shares behind Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid, the three leaders in the MVP race. Of the eight games he’s missed this season, the Cavs won just two. Though he’s a pillar of their defensive interior, they also have likely rookie of the year Evan Mobley to help protect the paint. The drop-off without Allen has mostly been on the offensive end.
The Cavs have averaged four fewer points in games without Allen this season, and when he plays, their offensive rating is 3.8 points better with him on the floor. The combination of Allen and Mobley gives a dynamic playmaker like Darius Garland multiple lob options or players in the paint to drop the ball to when he’s coming off picks and driving into the lane.
Without Allen, the Cavs still like to play big with Kevin Love or Dean Wade flanking Mobley and Lauri Markannen, but the offense looks different, as those two typically play further away from the basket.
The Eastern Conference standings remain tight, with the Cavs still just three games behind the 76ers for second place, one game behind the fifth-place Boston Celtics. But without Allen, they’ll have to dig deep to make a move.
Despite being just 2.5 games behind the Milwaukee Bucks in the Central Division standings, the Cavs odds to win are now a distant third place at +750. The Bucks have -340 odds and the Chicago Bulls are second at +400.
