The Cavaliers released an update on Dean Wade on Wednesday, announcing (via Twitter) that the injured forward will miss the rest of Cleveland’s first-round series with Orlando. According to the Cavs, Wade recently underwent an MRI on the right knee sprain that has kept him on the shelf since March 13. He continues to do daily rehab, but needs more time to recover. Wade has no timeline for a return, with the team saying he’s out indefinitely. A fifth-year forward who played college ball at Kansas State, Wade is one of Cleveland’s best defensive players. He averaged 5.4 points and 4.0 rebounds w ..read more

Jarrett Allen has been a dominant force in the Cavaliers’ first two playoff games against the Magic. He’s averaging 16 points in the first-round series. His 38 total rebounds is just 11 less than Orlando’s entire starting lineup, Joe Vardon of The Athletic notes. Magic defensive star Jonathan Isaac only played 19 minutes due to Allen’s superiority. Allen has drawn extra motivation from his postseason clunker against the Knicks last season. “He’s a prideful individual,” Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell said. “And I think that the way it happened last year, you could see it’s a motivating thing ..read more

Game 1 between the Magic and Cavaliers had an edge to it and it could get even more chippier as the series goes along, The Athletic’s Josh Robbins opines. Orlando’s Markelle Fultz was assessed a Flagrant-1 foul and the Cavs’ Georges Niang received a technical foul for an altercation during the series opener. “Either he was going to hit me first or I was going to hit him,” Fultz said. “So, I just took the initiative to body up, not trying to hurt nobody or anything like that but just deliver a hit, make it be known that we’re not soft.” Cleveland’s Isaac Okoro received a technical foul for shov ..read more

Donovan Mitchell backed up his claim that his troublesome left knee is now “100 percent” as he led the Cavaliers past Orlando in their series opener this afternoon, writes Kendra Andrews of ESPN. Mitchell didn’t seem slowed by the knee at all as he carved up the Magic’s defense for 30 points while shooting 11-of-21 from the field and 3-of-8 from three-point range. “It’s all about setting a tone,” Mitchell said. “This is exciting and I love it and it’s great but in the same token, this game is only one game. This is trying to set that tone, but now we have to do it again and again.” Although hi ..read more

The pool of bonus money for NBA playoff teams this season will be worth approximately $33.7MM, according to Kurt Badenhausen and Lev Akabas of Sportico, who say the figure represents a 25% increase over last year’s total playoff bonuses. The top six teams in each conference earn bonuses based on their regular season records, while the 16 playoff teams will also receive a chunk of money from the playoff pool, increasing the value of their payout with each series win. That bonus money will be divvied up among the players on each club’s roster. Teams eliminated in the play-in tournament won’t be ..read more

After missing 16 of the Cavaliers‘ final 26 games due to pain in his left knee, Donovan Mitchell said Wednesday that he’s “100 percent,” writes Tom Withers of The Associated Press. Mitchell had a platelet-rich plasma injection in the knee and was given plenty of rest as the team’s medical staff monitored his condition to prepare him for the postseason. Withers notes that the injury affected Mitchell’s movement, as his usual explosiveness and quick change of direction were missing for weeks. A recent 33-point game against Indiana seemed to be a sign that he’s getting back to normal, and Mitchel ..read more

With 11 of 12 roster spots reportedly locked in for USA Basketball’s 2024 Olympic roster, the program could go in a number of different directions with the 12th and final slot. The list of players in contention for that final roster spot includes plenty of big names, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports that Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard is currently viewed as the leading candidate. Leonard’s teammate Paul George, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, Magic forward Paolo Banchero, and Nets forward Mikal Bridges are also in the mix, sources tell Charania. Leonard hasn’t represented T ..read more

The boos that the Cavaliers heard as they left the court after Sunday’s loss to Charlotte weren’t directed at the players, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. There was an organizational decision to rest several rotation members rather than prioritize a win that would have landed the No. 2 seed and avoided a potential second-round matchup with the league-leading Celtics. The result was embarrassing, as Cleveland was outscored 18-2 to end the game and will face Orlando in the first round after falling to fourth place. Vardon notes that the loss of Craig Porter Jr. to a sprained ankle in the ..read more

It came down to a blown DeMar DeRozan overtime buzzer beater attempt, but the Knicks finally clinched the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed by winning a nationally broadcast ESPN clash against the Bulls this afternoon. Earlier in the day, several other East playoff and play-in clubs wrapped up their 2023/24 regular seasons, thus cementing the conference’s top 10 heading into the postseason. Remarkably, three teams sport identical 47-35 records. Obviously the Nos. 7 and 8 seeds will be determined by the play-in tournament, which will tip off midweek. That will thus dictate the 1-8 and 2-7 matchup ..read more

After previously being listed as questionable, reigning MVP Joel Embiid was subsequently ruled out by the Sixers ahead of Sunday’s season finale against Brooklyn, tweets Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports. Embiid’s official injury designation was left knee injury recovery, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). When asked if he expected Embiid to play as long as he didn’t have any issues pregame, head coach Nick Nurse shifted around a bit while saying, “Yeah, same on the (other) questionable guys” (Twitter video link via PHLY Sixers). De’Anthony Melton (back injury recovery) an ..read more