The Cleveland Cavaliers will be shorthanded again for Wednesday’s game against the Houston Rockets. Evan Mobley and Isaac Okoro will miss their third straight game. Mobley is dealing with a calf strain while Okoro is trying to come back from an AC joint sprain in his right shoulder that was initially injured in mid-December.
There isn’t too much of a concern about Mobley’s injury keeping him out too long. Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson categorized the injury as “day-to-day” and said that it wasn’t “going to be long-term.”
Mobley hasn’t played since last week’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder where he had just 5 points and 3 rebounds in 18 minutes. On the season, Mobley is averaging 18.6 points and 8.8 rebounds on 57.3% shooting and 42.1% shooting from deep while being phenomenal on defense. It should be enough to earn him an All-Star position this season.
Okoro had a good start to the season but hasn’t been the same since he tried to initially play through the shoulder injury at the beginning of January. He’s shot just 3-24 from the field in the five games he tried to play since the injury.
“He’s such a tough guy he wanted to play through it,” Atkinson said before the win over the Phoenix Suns. “I think it affects your shooting a little bit. He won’t say that, but we know that was the case. We’ll seek to get him right for the long haul.”
Okoro is averaging 5.8 points on 42.7% shooting from the field and 39.7% shooting from three.
The Cavaliers could also be without Caris LeVert who’s dealing with a right wrist strain. He’s listed as questionable. This injury kept him out of Monday’s contest against Phoenix.
The Rockets will be without Jabari Smith Jr. who is out with a fractured bone in his left hand.