Is Donovan Mitchell playing tonight? Latest injury report for Cavs vs. Celtics, Game 5

It's do or die tonight for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The team narrowly lost Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Boston Celtics in Cleveland. To make matters worse, they were without star guard Donovan Mitchell.

Mitchell suffered a left calf strain in Game 3 of the series and was ultimately held out for Game 4. Today's NBA injury report lists him as questionable for Game 5 along with both Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert.

However, the Cavs got bad news on Wednesday morning. According to Shams Charania and Joe Vardon of The Athletic, Mitchell is expected to miss Game 5.

Donovan Mitchell to miss Game 5 as Cavs face elimination

This is ultimately the worst possible news the Cavs could have received ahead of Game 5. Not having Mitchell is the last thing they need to happen when they are already facing elimination, especially on the road.

The Celtics have all the momentum heading into Game 5, as they are one win away from the Eastern Conference Finals and can clinch at home. But if Mitchell is unavailable tonight for Game 5, the Cavs are going to need both Allen and LeVert active, and they'll also need the two of them to have big games along with Darius Garland.

All signs point to Boston winning Game 5 and taking the series tonight. The Cavs are going to be at a major disadvantage without their best player, and things will be even worse for them if they don't have Allen or LeVert.

As such, Garland will likely be relied on heavily tonight as the Cavs try to stave off elimination. Losing Mitchell certainly hurts their chances of keeping their season alive. We'll see if the rest of the Cavs can pick up the slack and do their part to keep the team afloat.

Should Cleveland come away with a victory in Game 5, Game 6 will be held back in Cleveland at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Friday night, with tip-off being at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Game 7 will take place on Sunday if necessary.