Mitchell’s 37 Powers Cavaliers Past Hawks; Edwards Still Out; Kessler to Miss Rest of Jazz Trip
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Donovan Mitchell erupted for 37 points in his return from a one-game absence, steering the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 117-109 victory over the Atlanta Hawks at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Sunday night.
Cleveland outscored Atlanta 39-33 in the fourth quarter, snapping a two-game skid and improving to 4-3. Head coach Kenny Atkinson said the win served as a much-needed confidence boost after a close loss to Toronto.
“I felt like this was one we needed to get,” Atkinson told reporters. “Not a must-win this early in the season, but we needed it for confidence, especially after the Toronto loss where we felt we had chances.”
The Cavaliers’ offense continued to struggle with guards Darius Garland and Sam Merrill sidelined, but Atkinson noted that aggressive rebounding compensated for the shooting woes. “Our offense wasn’t great, we didn’t shoot it great, and we just attacked the offensive boards, especially in the second half,” he said.
Timberwolves Guard Anthony Edwards Remains Sidelined
The Minnesota Timberwolves have cleared Anthony Edwards for contact drills, yet the star guard will miss his fourth straight game Monday against Brooklyn as he rehabs a strained right hamstring suffered Oct. 26 versus Indiana. Minnesota’s upcoming schedule includes the Knicks on Wednesday, the Jazz on Friday, the Kings on Sunday and another meeting with Utah next Monday.
Edwards has already sat out more games than he missed in any of his first three NBA seasons; he played 72 contests in 2021-22.
Jazz Center Walker Kessler Out with Shoulder Soreness
Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler will miss the final four games of the club’s current road trip due to soreness in his left shoulder. The 22-year-old was sent back to Salt Lake City for evaluation after sitting out Sunday’s game in Charlotte.
Kessler, who dealt with bursitis in the same shoulder during the preseason, started Utah’s first five regular-season games. He will be sidelined for matchups in Boston, Detroit and Minnesota, with the earliest possible return set for Nov. 10, when the Jazz host the Timberwolves to open a home-and-home series.
Source: Hoops Wire
