On Saturday afternoon, the Cleveland Cavaliers will host the Toronto Raptors (in Ohio) for Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.
The Cavs are the fourth seed after going 52-30 during the regular season.
Cavs Announce Key Player Will Miss Game
For Game 1, the Cavs have announced that they will be without one of their role players.
Thomas Bryant has been ruled out on the injury report.
Danny Cunningham of Locked On Cavs wrote: “#Cavs list Thomas Bryant (calf) as out for Game 1 against the Toronto Raptors. Everyone else is available. This will be the first time all season the Cavs have their entire expected rotation available.”
Bryant is in the middle of his first year playing for the Cavs.
He finished the regular season with averages of 6.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per contest while shooting 50.6% from the field and 35.9% from three-point range in 60 games.
Bryant’s NBA Career
Bryant was the 42nd pick in the 2017 NBA Draft after two seasons of college basketball.
He has also had stints with the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers and Denver Nuggets over nine years as a pro.
The 2023 NBA Champion has career averages of 8.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per contest while shooting 57.3% from the field and 34.8% from three-point range in 393 games (147 starts).
Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com wrote (on April 15): “#Cavs Thomas Bryant (calf) is on the court practicing. He has a protective sleeve on his left calf. Kenny Atkinson said Bryant was the most iffy player from an injury perspective entering this series.”
Looking At The Cavs And Raptors
The Cavs are 7-3 over their last ten games (and 27-14 in 41 games at home).
They are coming off a year where they lost to the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the 2025 NBA playoffs (in five games).
On the other side, the Raptors are the fifth seed after going 46-36.
They have gone 6-4 over their last ten games (and are 22-19 in 41 games away from Canada).
Cleveland Cavaliers Announce Key Player Will Miss Raptors Game