MIAMI — The Cleveland Cavaliers lost forward Evan Mobley in the first half of Sunday’s game at Miami with a left ankle sprain, though the team doesn’t expect it will become a long-term or lingering issue.
The Cavaliers announced at halftime that he would be out for the second half. Mobley had four points in 12 first-half minutes, and the Cavs went on to lose 122-113.
Mobley played through the sprain briefly, but Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson saw him limping later and decided he couldn’t keep going.
“I don’t think it’s a bad one,” Atkinson said.
Mobley came in Sunday averaging a career-best 18.9 points this season and was coming off a career-high 41-point game at Charlotte on Saturday.
The Cavaliers used Georges Niang in Mobley’s spot to start the second half in Miami. Cleveland has only one game in the next week, playing host to Washington on Friday night. It’s a light schedule for most NBA teams this coming week because of the NBA Cup knockout round.
