The Cavaliers beat the Raptors 104-96 Sunday evening to remain in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings, but the win came at a high cost: Their All-Star C Jarrett Allen sustained a fractured finger and will be sidelined indefinitely.
Allen only played 10 minutes, but that was enough to do it. He added six points and two rebounds in the bittersweet victory.
As of yet, it’s unclear the severity of the injury, but it comes at an inopportune time for the team, which is in the midst of a playoff push. With the win, Cleveland is 37-27 and as of now wouldn’t have to play in the play-in tournament—seventh place does, though.
The Cavs have a three-game lead over Toronto for the sixth seed. The playoffs start in a month.
Allen was having perhaps his finest season: Over 55 games he’s averaged 16.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.3 blocks. While he’s out the team will most likely use rookie Evan Mobley, veteran Kevin Love or even Ed Davis at center.
