Is Donovan Mitchell playing tonight against Milwaukee Bucks? Latest update on 4-time NBA All-Star's status (Dec. 29)
Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers will look to extend their winning streak to three games on Friday, when they host one of the top teams in the NBA, the Milwaukee Bucks. The Cavs are trying to build some momentum after winning six of their last 10 games, whereas the Bucks have won eight of their last nine and trail the top-seeded Boston Celtics by 1.5 games (23-8 to 24-6).
Donovan Mitchell is cleared to play for Cleveland after being listed as questionable with an illness. The four-time All-Star guard missed Wednesday's road win over the Dallas Mavericks (113-110) and the team is hopeful his return to lineup will impact the game on Friday.
Donovan Mitchell leads the way in scoring for the Cavs with an impressive 27.7 ppg. He also has 5.6 rpg and 5.5 apg, on 35.1 percent from beyond the arc. However, he has appeared in only 22 of the Cavs' first 31 games, missing matches due to injuries and illness. Cleveland is sixth in the East with 18 wins and 13 losses.
Donovan Mitchell's stats vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Donovan Mitchell has faced the Milwaukee Bucks 13 times since 2017. 10 of those games were with the Utah Jazz and three with the Cleveland Cavaliers, a team he joined in the summer of 2022.
Over these 13 games, he has averages of 26.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg and 4.4 apg, on 39.5 percent from beyond the arc. With Darius Garland, out, it will be crucial for Cleveland to have Donovan Mitchell available, but his playing condition remains unclear, as he has been out since December 18.
The Cavs are looking for some consistency amid their injury woes. Garland and Evan Mobley will miss significant time with injuries, while Mitchell has also been out.
Thus, they have turned to big man Jarrett Allen and guard Caris LeVert to step up and help the squad stay on the winning track. LeVert had 29 points and seven assists vs the Mavs, while Allen posted a monster double-double of 24 points and 23 rebounds.
On the other hand, the Bucks spent their past few days in New York, playing the Knicks twice and the Brooklyn Nets once. They won two of those three games and want to build another winning streak and stay as close as they can to the top-seeded Celtics.
Megastar Giannis Antetokounmpo is expected to be good to go, even though the Bucks want to be cautious with a right calf injury he dealt with several days ago.