Cavs to try again to clinch top East seed, this time without Donovan Mitchell

CLEVELAND — It’s only a matter of time before the Cavaliers officially clinch the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. We think.

And hey, maybe it’ll be Tuesday. That’s when the Cavs (62-16) host the Chicago Bulls (36-42), who are fighting for some postseason positioning of their own.

The Cavs can do no worse than finish second in the East, the Bulls no worse than 10th. With a win, the top seed belongs to the Cavs. The same is true if the Boston Celtics should lose. But if you look at the Celtics’ remaining schedule of rag-tag opponents … well, let’s just say the Cavaliers need a win.

They will face the Bulls without leading scorer Donovan Mitchell, who rolled his ankle in the third quarter of Sunday’s home loss to the Sacramento Kings. Mitchell exited briefly and returned to finish the game. Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said he believes the injury is not serious. 

Other than that, no regular rotation players are on the injury report.

Meanwhile, the Cavs could catch a break, as outstanding Bulls guard Coby White is sitting out to rest. Chicago is gearing up for the play-in tournament, and where they fall doesn’t really matter all that much. (Though they are currently ninth in the East, meaning they’d have to win two play-in games to get into the playoffs.)

Anyway, I’ve provided all of the details below, including injuries. If the Cavs win, it’s the No. 1 seed with three regular-season games to go. That really is the bottom line.

Cavaliers vs. Bulls

Tipoff/TV: 7 p.m. EST, FanDuel Sports Network

Location: Rocket Arena

Injury Report

CAVALIERS
Out: Emoni Bates (two-way); Donovan Mitchell (left ankle sprain); Nae’Qwan Tomlin (two-way); Luke Travers (two-way).