The Cleveland Cavaliers walked away with a 113-109 win at home tonight, but at what cost? Without Donovan Mitchell already, the Cavaliers lost another starter tonight as Jarrett Allen left the game after 20 minutes and did not return. The play happened in the third quarter, when Allen appeared to land awkwardly on a rebound attempt with 8:40 left in the third quarter.
Here’s where JA hurt his knee. You can see him wince when he lands and labor a bit going up the court.
He is doubtful to return. pic.twitter.com/LlfauENFfg
— RealCavsFans.com (@realcavsfans) March 4, 2026
We’ll have to wait for further tests before a more definitive diagnosis is made, but it’s undoubtedly bad news for the Cavs. Amid multiple other injuries, the last thing they need is for their starting center to miss time. For now, we don’t know exactly what his status is, but knee injuries are notoriously tricky. It could take anywhere from days to weeks for the pain to subside, depending on what exactly the damage is. For now, all we can do is wait and hold out for more information.
Allen finished with eight points, three rebounds, zero assists, one steal, and zero blocks on 57.1% shooting from the field, going -3 on the floor in less than 21 minutes. At 6’9″ and 240 pounds, Allen is elite on defense and operates as the anchor on that end for the Cavaliers. In 50 games this season, the 27-year-old big man is averaging 15.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game on 63.7% shooting from the field.
Even without his services for most of the second half, Cleveland still managed to win the game, thanks to standout performances from Jaylon Tyson (23 points, three rebounds, four assists, zero steals, two blocks on 53.3% shooting from the field), Evan Mobley (18 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals, zero blocks), James Harden (18 points, five rebounds, seven assists, zero steals, and zero blocks) and Dennis Schroder (15 points, five rebounds, five assists, zero steals, and zero blocks on 60.0% shooting) off the bench.
The Cavs, who had been struggling for months, have recently picked up steam following the acquisition of James Harden. As winners of 7 in their last 10 games, they’ve climbed back up to fourth in the East (39-24), just one game back from the Knicks for the third seed.
If Allen does miss any significant time, look for the Cavs to go smaller by moving Mobley to center. Or, they could give more minutes to Thomas Bryant, who scored nine points, five rebounds, zero assists, one steal, and one block (40.0% shooting) off the bench tonight.
Either way, this team cannot miss a beat as the playoffs approach. Until Mitchell and Allen are healthy again, it’s next man up for the Cavaliers, who are all-in on the title pursuit. If tonight’s performance is any indication, they should have no problem staying in the top four in the East, assuming they get their stars back relatively quickly.
