Cavs to rest four starters vs. Pacers

And rest is exactly what most of the starters will get during Thursday’s road game against the Indiana Pacers — as Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Max Strus will all sit out.

Mitchell missed the clinching win over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday with left ankle soreness. Garland is listed as out with a toe issue, while Strus (knee) and Mobley (rest) have reasons of their own. Hey, the Cavs (63-16) had to come up with something, right?

After Thursday’s game, the Cavaliers will immediately fly to New York for a Friday night matchup with the Knicks. It seems doubtful many of the regulars will play then, though we won’t know for sure until Friday afternoon who is in, who is out, and who will play how much.

One name noticeably absent from the injury report? You guessed it — center Jarrett Allen. That’s likely because Allen has told coach Kenny Atkinson he wants to play in all 82 games. Someday, Allen says, he wants to look at the popular Basketball Reference website and see an “82” next to his name. It would signify that for one season, he didn’t miss a game.

So Allen will likely play in all 82, as Atkinson indicated he’s willing to grant the big man his wish. But don’t be surprised to see Allen play considerably less than half of the final three games.

Atkinson told reporters that the coaching staff, players, and president of basketball operations Koby Altman met after the game against the Bulls to strategize a game plan moving forward.

“There are various options on the table,” he said. “… We have to really think hard about what we want to do. It kind of will be a collaborative thing and the players are going to be a part of it.”

The Pacers (48-31) currently sit in fourth place in the East standings, two games behind the Knicks (50-29) with three to go. Indiana holds a three-game lead over the fifth-place Milwaukee Bucks (45-34).