Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley left Sunday’s loss to the Miami Heat with a left ankle sprain. This is a night after his career-high 41 points in the win over the Charlotte Hornets.
Mobley landed awkwardly on someone’s foot when he left his feet to grab a rebound in the second quarter. This caused him to miss the entire second half.
Head coach Kenny Atkinson provided an update after the loss.
“I don’t know,” Atkinson said when asked what the level of concern was. “It’s just you know, a sprain. I didn’t talk to the training staff, but I don’t think it’s a bad one.”
Mobley stayed in the game for the next few possessions after the awkward landing but was subbed out shortly thereafter.
“We had some discussion,” Atkinson said when asked about Mobley staying in for a few possessions. “He said, ‘I’m gonna try it. If it’s still bothering me I’m gonna stop,’ which is good. I saw him limping after it happened and then limping on successive plays. You know, that’s a tough kid. [The injury is] unfortunate for us.”
The Cavaliers just got through a tough stretch that had them play five games in eight days. Fortunately for Mobley, the Cavs have four days off until their next game against the Washington Wizards on Friday and they only play three games in the next 12 days. That time will help give Mobley and the other Cavaliers dealing with injuries time to get back onto the court.
Mobley is having the best season of his career. He’s making the jump into being a star. Mobley came into this game averaging 18.9 points on .559/.407/.796 shooting splits with 9.3 rebounds per game.