Cavaliers' Donovan Mitchell reportedly expected to miss Game 5 vs. Celtics with calf strain

The Cleveland Cavaliers are facing an elimination game against the Boston Celtics, but they'll be missing a vital player when they take the floor Wednesday night.

According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, Donovan Mitchell is expected to miss Game 5 with a calf strain. Mitchell also missed Game 4 with the same injury.

Coming into Wednesday's game, Mitchell has been averaging 29.6 points per game in the playoffs. He and the rest of the Cavs have had to make up for the absence of Jarrett Allen as well, who has missed the past seven games with a right rib contusion.

The Cavaliers have been banged up all season, but this is the worst time for them to lose a player like Mitchell. They're down 3-1 to the Celtics, who have looked unstoppable for all but one game in this series, and desperately need big performances from several players to try and extend the series by one more game. The absence of Mitchell means the Cavs have one fewer player who has the ability to change a game on a dime.

The Cavs and Celtics face off at 7 p.m. ET on TNT.