Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen suffered a rib injury due to an elbow from Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
“Jarrett Allen, the Cavs’ center and most consistent player in the series, had his right rib “punctured,” according to a team source, by a Wagner elbow in Game 4 and was unable to play in Game 5,” Vardon wrote. .
The Cavs managed to pull out a win in Game 5 without Allen, but his status for Game 6 is in question. Allen reportedly did light work in practice Thursday.
With Allen out, the Cavs have had to change their rotation, playing with a smaller lineup than the usual frontcourt that includes Allen and Evan Mobley. While this is a different look than normal, it gives the Cavs more spacing on the floor.
“The spacing is what’s different, longer rotations,” guard Donovan Mitchell said. “Jonathan Isaac, for example, now comes from the corner instead of helping (when the Cavs have Mobley and Allen on the court). …It’s a game of thumbs. …Having a guy like Jonathan Isaac or Wendell Carter having to come from the wing or the corner, now you make that pass and catch them in the middle of the rotations, it’s just a game changer.
Cleveland only beat Orlando by one point in Game 5, but it turned the series in its favor, taking a crucial 3-2 lead heading into Game 6 in Orlando on Friday night.
The Cavs struggled in Orlando during this series, losing Games 3 and 4, which allowed the Magic to even the series at two games apiece.
If Allen can play in capacity in Game 6, it would be a major boost for the Cavs. During the regular season, Allen was one of Cleveland’s most consistent players, playing in 77 games and averaging 16.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.1 blocks per game. game while shooting 63.4% from the field.
Without Allen in Game 5, Marcus Morris saw even more action at forward while Tristan Thompson also played some minutes in the frontcourt.
Isaac Okoro started in place of Allen and finished Game 5 with eight points, four rebounds and two assists. Morris added some nice scoring punch off the bench, scoring 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the field (2-of-5 from 3).
It will be interesting to see how the Cavs handle Allen’s injury as they attempt to make a deep playoff run this season.
