USATSI
On Sunday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Toronto Raptors 104-96, but suffered a massive loss in the process. All-Star center Jarrett Allen suffered a broken left middle finger during the game and will be ruled out indefinitely as he undergoes further evaluation and treatment. the team announced on Monday. Allen played just 10 minutes, scored six points and grabbed two rebounds against Toronto.
The injury obviously comes at a difficult time for the Cavaliers, who are in the midst of a tight battle for a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. After defeating Toronto, the Cavs are in sixth place with a 37–27 record for the season. If they can stay where they are, they won’t have to play in the play-in tournament. However, if they drop to seventh place, then so be it. They are currently three games ahead of the Raptors in sixth place.
Allen is having the best season of his career. In 55 games, he averages 16.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.3 blocks per game. It provides the Cavs with solid protection under the ring in defense and a reliable finisher on the other side. In his absence, the Cavs will likely turn to rookie Evan Mobley and veteran Kevin Love to hold center stage most of the time. Ed Davis could potentially see a few more minutes.
The playoffs start in just over a month, so ultimately the Cavs have to hope that Allen recovers and returns before they start, and that they don’t drop too far in the standings in the meantime.