CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cavs are going to be significantly shorthanded for their second preseason game Thursday night.
Coach Kenny Atkinson announced pregame that four of the five starters — Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Max Strus — will get the night off against the Indiana Pacers. Garland, Mitchell and Mobley are resting while Strus remains day-to-day with a right hip contusion suffered in Tuesday’s exhibition opener. Every scan on Strus came back clean and there are no concerns that it will keep him out long term.
Cleveland will also be without reserves Caris LeVert and Sam Merrill, bringing the inactive list to six.
“We really want to take a look at the whole roster and give them a fair shot, with fair minutes and get a good evaluation there,” Atkinson explained. “Just look at different lineups.”
Merrill, who has been dealing with a sore wrist since training camp, was a late addition to the injury report.
Following Thursday’s game, the Cavs will have two more road exhibitions before the Oct. 23 regular season opener. They will play former coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s Detroit Pistons on Oct. 16 and the Chicago Bulls — the second of a home-and-home setup — on Oct. 18.
Atkinson said the plan is to use those final two contests as a normal buildup to the regular season, signifying that his lineup mainstays will likely be available — unless an injury occurs over the next week.
