The Cleveland Cavaliers‘ good basketball will be put to the test as they’re set to be without Evan Mobley (calf) for anywhere between one to three weeks. Additionally, they’re set to embark on a five-game, week-and-a-half Western Conference roadtrip starting on Friday against the shorthanded Phoenix Suns.
The Suns are expected to be without Devin Booker. He injured his ankle in a game last week against the Atlanta Hawks. The injury isn’t serious, but it is expected to sideline him for Friday’s game. The injury update the team announced on Sunday said he would be reevaluated in a week with a right ankle sprain.
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Phoenix has been one of the best stories in the league this season. Former Cavs assistant Jordan Ott has done an excellent job leading what felt like a rudderless team after the disastrous Kevin Durant trade back into relevancy. They’re firmly in the playoff race in a tightly contested Western Conference with a 27-19 record.
Despite the good play, the Suns have struggled without Booker this season. They’ve been outscored by 2.1 points per 100 possessions (40th percentile) when he isn’t on the floor and are 1-4 in games he doesn’t play overall.
On the season, Booker is averaging 25.4 points, 6.2 assists, and four rebounds per game on .456/.313/.864 shooting splits.
The Cavs conclude their five-game roadtrip on Feb. 9 against the Denver Nuggets. Whether or not Nikola Jokic will be back in time for that game remains to be seen. He hasn’t played since injuring his knee in December, but resumed on-court workouts two weeks ago. The initial four-week reevaluation period has already passed.
No matter who is in the lineup, this upcoming stretch will be difficult for the Cavs. We’ll see how the Cavs handle it in the coming week, after they host LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday.
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