Cavaliers' Dean Wade: Returns to on-court activities
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Wade (knee) has returned to on-court activities, Chris Fedor of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Wade underwent surgery to treat ongoing issues with the meniscus in his right knee at the end of March and was sidelined for the remainder of the 2021-22 campaign. He made 51 appearances during the season and averaged 5.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 19.2 minutes per game. The Cavaliers have a $1.91 million team option on Wade for next season, so his health during the offseason will likely be an important factor in the team's decision.
Mobley accumulated 18 points (6-12 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 5-6 FT), eight rebounds, five assists and two blocks in the 107-101 loss to Atlanta on Friday.
Mobley did almost everything he could Friday, but the Cavaliers were unable to advance to the playoffs. The rookie posted averages of 15.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game on 50.8 percent shooting from the field this season.
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Cavaliers' Darius Garland: Just shy of double-double
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Garland recorded 21 points (9-27 FG, 1-7 3Pt, 2-2 FT), nine assists and three steals in Friday's 107-101 loss to Atlanta.
Garland had a subpar shooting night but constantly set his teammates up for open looks while coming up with a trio of steals. The 2022 All-Star finished the season with averages of 21.7 points, 8.6 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game.
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Cavaliers' Lauri Markkanen: Leads team in loss
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Markkanen recorded 26 points (10-17 FG, 6-12 3Pt), eight rebounds, two assists and one block in Friday's 107-101 loss to Atlanta.
Cleveland fell just short of advancing to the playoffs, even though Markkanen drained six three-pointers and nearly posted a double-double. The Arizona product averaged 14.8 points on 44.5 percent shooting from the field and 35.8 percent from deep this season.
Allen (finger) will officially play and start in Friday's play-in game against the Hawks, Kelsey Russo of The Athletic reports.
Allen has been sidelined since March 6, but he still figures to see heavy minutes given the situation. His presence in the starting lineup means Isaac Okoro will come off the bench.
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Cavaliers' Isaac Okoro: Coming off bench
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Okoro will come off the bench for Friday's elimination playoff game against the Hawks, Serena Winters of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.
With Jarrett Allen (finger) returning, he'll step into the starting five, and Caris LeVert will move into the shooting guard spot. Friday marks just the seventh time Okoro has come off the bench this season. In those previous six appearances, he averaged 6.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 24.7 minutes.
Allen (finger) is expected to play Friday against the Hawks, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
Unless he suffers a setback in warmups, the Cavs' All-Star center will be available for Friday's do-or-die play-in game against the Hawks. His presence will be beneficial against Atlanta's Clint Capela, freeing Evan Mobley to roam and disrupt more defensively. Allen could be rusty given that he hasn't played since March 6, but he'll still presumably see heavy minutes given the situation.
Cavaliers' Jarrett Allen: Will attempt to play Friday
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Allen (finger) will attempt to play in Friday's play-in contest against Atlanta, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
While Allen was able to go through shootaround Thursday, he remains questionable on the Cavs' official injury report. However, the implication from Charania's tweet is that Allen will warm up with the intent to play Friday night, which would mark his first action since March 6. If Allen does end up taking the court, it'll likely be a touch-and-go situation, so rostering him in DFS contests could be a risky proposition.
