Per the 2 PM official NBA injury report (cited by AP's Tom Withers, @twithersCLE), confirmed across multiple sources including DraftKings Network, Apr 6, Fear The Sword, Apr 6, ESPN, Apr 6, and Heavy.com, Apr 6:
Full Cavaliers OUT list (updated, 8 players):
Context on Mitchell: Mitchell rolled his ankle in the closing minutes of Sunday's 117-108 win over Indiana after scoring 38 points. He immediately downplayed it postgame ("Y'all dramatic as hell," per Fear The Sword/Jackson Flickinger), and Clutch Points reported he said he was "just fine." Despite those assurances, the team ruled him OUT on the 2 PM official report — a precautionary decision given the back-to-back, the playoff-meaningless opponent, and 4 games remaining (Heavy.com, Apr 6). He is expected back as early as vs. Atlanta.
Context on Harden: Listed as OUT for personal reasons. No further detail available.
Early-run market inefficiency note (NOW RESOLVED): The earlier watch on Allen/Merrill returning is moot — Sam Merrill is no longer on the official OUT list per the 2 PM report (CBS Sports and Fear The Sword do not list him), suggesting he may be available, though this is unconfirmed. Cross-reference against the latest official report at tip-off.
With Mitchell, Harden, Strus, Bryant, Allen, Mobley, Wade, and Tyson all out, Cleveland will rely on a heavily depleted rotation. Likely contributors include Keon Ellis, Larry Nance Jr., Caris LeVert, Isaac Okoro, and others from the bench unit. This is essentially a backup/developmental lineup on the road in the second night of a back-to-back.
Back end of a back-to-back — Cavs played Sunday night in Cleveland vs. Indiana, travel overnight to Memphis. Road back-to-back second nights are a noted vulnerability even at full strength; with this level of absences, fatigue compounds significantly.
Cleveland (49-29) remains 1 game behind New York (3rd seed) with 4 games left per Covers.com, Apr 6 and DraftKings Network, Apr 6. A win here clinches home-court advantage in Round 1 and would tie New York. However, the decision to sit Mitchell and Harden signals Cleveland is prioritizing player health over seeding position for this specific game.
Without Mitchell (27.8 PPG, team leader) and Harden (20.5 PPG, 7.9 APG), Cleveland loses virtually all of its shot creation, playmaking, and half-court offensive structure. As Fadeaway World, Apr 6 notes: "Mitchell is out. Harden is out. Strus is out, too. That is a huge amount of shot creation and half-court control gone from one team. If the Grizzlies can force this into a messy game, the talent gap gets much smaller than the season numbers suggest." Memphis (25-53, eliminated) features a lineup anchored by Rayan Rupert, GG Jackson (day-to-day, knee), and young/10-day players — but Cleveland's depleted roster makes this considerably more competitive than the original spread implied.
Per Fox Sports 1340/iHeart (Apr 6), Memphis has 13 players on the injury report:
NEW vs. early entry — Two additional GTD players per CBS Sports:
Per Winners & Whiners, all 13 players who appeared on Sunday's (Apr 5) Bucks game DNP list were unavailable in Milwaukee: Cam Spencer, Javon Small, Jahmai Mashack, GG Jackson II, Cedric Coward, Ty Jerome, Jaylen Wells, Zach Edey, Ja Morant, Brandon Clarke, Santi Aldama, Scotty Pippen Jr., and KCP. There is no confirmed indication any DTD player has been upgraded for tonight. Memphis has dressed four 10-day contract players (Dariq Whitehead, Toby Okani, Lucas Williamson, Adama Bal) in recent games.
Memphis is on a back-to-back — played at Milwaukee Sunday Apr 5 (road, lost by 16) and now hosts Cleveland at FedExForum Monday Apr 6. Cleveland is also on zero days' rest after beating Indiana 117-108 at home on Sunday. No rest advantage for either team.
T-12h Lines (from early research run, ~12:21 a.m. ET per USA Today SportsbookWire):
T-2h Lines (most recent snapshots — multiple sources):
Line Movement Analysis (per Winners & Whiners):
Memphis was blown out by 16 in Milwaukee Sunday with a G-League-caliber roster. The DTD players (GG Jackson II, Coward, Spencer) all sat, and no confirmed upgrades have emerged. Two newly flagged GTDs (Gibson, Hendricks) add further uncertainty to an already depleted Memphis rotation. Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell (38 pts vs. Indiana) and James Harden (28 pts) are motivated: Cavs are 1 game back of NY for 3rd seed in the East with 4 games remaining, hunting home-court advantage. Memphis (25-53) was eliminated March 25 with zero competitive motivation. Cleveland has won 6 consecutive head-to-head meetings; the season series stands 1-0 Cavs (won 108-100 on Nov. 15). Memphis is 3-1-1 ATS in the last 5 series meetings.