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The Cleveland Cavaliers rose to prominence in the East this season in an unexpected way. The team was even in contention for the No. 1 seed at one point before struggling to close out the season. One of the reasons for those struggles was the injury to Jarrett Allen, who had blossomed into a big role as the team’s starting center. Allen is out with a finger injury but did take part in pregame warmups ahead of the regular season finale.
Jarrett Allen injury updates
April 15 - Allen is officially listed as available for the Cavaliers in the play-in game Friday.
April 14- Allen will attempt to play in Friday’s play-in, per Shams Charania of Stadium.
Cavaliers All-Star Jarrett Allen will attempt to play in Play-In Tournament game vs. Hawks on Friday -- he has been listed questionable on injury report. Allen has been out since March 6 due to fractured finger.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 14, 2022
April 11 — The Cavaliers ruled Allen out for Tuesday night’s NBA play-in tournament matchup vs. the Brooklyn Nets. Cleveland will be fighting for the 7-seed and could end up playing again on Thursday night to determine who will be the 8-seed in the East. For now, Allen is out for the next game. We’ll see if the Cavs lose whether or not he’ll be ready for Thursday vs. the Hawks or Hornets.
According to reports, pain tolerance is the issue for Allen. The center averaged 16.1 points and 10.8 rebounds per game this season, so the Cavaliers clearly miss his production. The team is in the 7-8 play-in game, so there’s a chance Allen could come back if the Cavaliers lose and need to win the second play-in game to get into the playoffs. The center seems close to returning given his recent participation in warmups.