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Cavs’ Jarrett Allen dealt crushing Game 7 injury blow

Originally posted on ClutchPoints | By Sam DiGiovanni | Last updated 5/5/24

The Cleveland Cavaliers will face the Orlando Magic in Game 7 of their first-round series without the help of star center Jarrett Allen, who is inactive due to a rib contusion. After speculation about whether he would play, the Cavs center has officially been ruled out.

Allen missed the last two games for the Cavs and Isaac Okoro will start in his place as Cleveland looks to win the series at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Reporters noted that Allen did not appear for warm-ups in his usual time slot.

The Cavs will greatly miss Allen’s rebounding, rim protection and interior scoring as they look to defeat Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and the young, tough Magic. In the four games he played in this series, Allen averaged 17.0 points and 13.8 rebounds on 67.6 percent shooting from the field. His absence will be missed against a team with so much size.

Jarrett Allen ruled out for Cavs’ Game 7 vs. Magic

Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac (1) defends Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) in the first quarter during game two of the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Evan Mobley will have to step up for the Cavs just as he did in Game 5 when he made a spectacular defensive play to put Cleveland ahead in the series. Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland will also have to be on their A-games to get their squad into the next round. With Mitchell fresh off of a 50-point game despite a knee injury, he should be ready to come through.

The winner of Game 7 will face the Boston Celtics in an Eastern Conference Semifinals series that starts on Tuesday at TD Garden. The Cavs are aiming to win their first playoff series since 2018 (and their first without LeBron James on the roster since 1993).

Joining Allen on the inactive list are Dean Wade (right knee sprain), Craig Porter Jr. (left ankle sprain) and Ty Jerome (right ankle surgery).

This story will be updated.

This article first appeared on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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