We know it’s a contact injury, but that’s about it.
The Cleveland Cavalierstook down the conference-leading Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night, but they didn’t come through the game unscathed. Jarrett Allen, who’s played the best basketball of his career for the last month, injured his knee midway through the third quarter and wasn’t able to return.
Afterward, head coach Kenny Atkinson was asked about the injury after the game. He said it was the result of a collision.
“He got a knee-to-knee [hit],” Atkinson said. “So that’s the only update I got.”
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Allen has been unfairly criticized for not playing through injuries. He played through a broken finger in his left hand and a finger strain in the other earlier this season. Last year, he participated in all 82 games and has missed just 12 so far this season.
Atkinson doesn’t believe that the injury came from being overworked.
“He does want to play every game,” Atkinson said. “Especially as well as he’s playing. … I think that’s part of this job, it’s figuring out when you can get a guy a game, when you look at the schedule. We try to do that the best we can. And you always look back on it [and have regrets]. … Like I said, I think this is more about a contact thing. The soft tissue [injuries] are the ones where you’re like, ‘Man, that’s overuse.’ The hits like that there, you can’t really avoid that.”
Fortunately for the Cavs, they have time for Allen and a few of their other injured players to get healthy. They have a rare four-day break before they play the Boston Celtics on Sunday.
Allen has been great since the start of February. In that time, he’s averaged 21 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game on 72% shooting. On the season, Allen is averaging 15.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.
Category: General Sports
