The Cleveland Cavaliers pulled out a 104-96 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday evening, but they suffered a large loss in the process. All-Star center Jarrett Allen suffered a fracture in his left middle finger during the game, and will be sidelined indefinitely as he undergoes further evaluation and treatment, the team announced Monday. Allen played just 10 minutes, scored six points and grabbed two rebounds against Toronto.
The injury obviously comes at a tough time for the Cavaliers, who are in the midst of a tight battle for playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference. Following their win over Toronto, the Cavs sit sixth with a 37-27 record on the season. If they can stay in their current spot, they won't have to participate in the play-in tournament. However, if they drop to seventh, then they will. They currently hold a three-game lead over the Raptors for that sixth spot.
Allen is having the best season of his career. In 55 games, he's averaging 16.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.3 blocks per performance. He provides the Cavs with solid rim protection on defense, and a reliable finisher on the other end. In his absence, the Cavs will likely turn to rookie Evan Mobley and veteran Kevin Love to hold down the center spot for the majority of the time. Ed Davis could potentially see some more minutes as well.
The playoffs start in just over a month, so ultimately the Cavs just have to hope that Allen will be healthy and back before they begin -- and that they don't drop too far down in the standings in the meantime.
