Cavs notes: Jarrett Allen out at least a week with finger strain

CLEVELAND – Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen will miss at least a week with a right finger strain. Allen originally broke his left ring finger on Oct. 29 in Boston and missed two games. The 6-foot-11, 250-pounder returned to the lineup and played nine games before he suffered a strained right middle finger. He sat out three games before playing 28 minutes in the Atlanta game on Friday. Allen didn't aggravate the injury but will be shut down for a while. "I think he was playing in discomfort," Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said. "It's a credit to him to fight through it. He couldn't catch (the ball very) well. This will give him time to heal. "You have to do what's best for yourself and the team. One (finger) is fractured and one is damaged." Allen is averaging 14.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists in the 15 games. "We had (almost) perfect health last year," Atkinson said. "This year is different. We have to manage it differently. It's been a little jagged and clunky. The rest of the league is dealing with it, too. We were lucky last year." In other injury news: Cavs forward/center Larry Nance Jr. injured his right calf during the Atlanta game. An MRI on Saturday at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health revealed a Grade 1 strain. Nance will begin treatment and is expected to miss approximately three to four weeks. Guard Sam Merrill remained out of the lineup Sunday after he sprained his right hand vs. Milwaukee on Nov. 17. He's missed the last six games. He is considered day-to-day. Atkinson said it's to be determined whether Darius Garland will play tonight in Toronto on the tail end of the back-to-back set. Guard Lonzo Ball sat out Sunday and will likely be available tonight. Get out and run Watching the game tape from the Atlanta game perturbed Atkinson. On several occasions, the Hawks just outran the Cavs in transition and got easy layups. "I'm very concerned," the coach said. "This is a high-pace league. Part of stopping that is getting back on defense. "It bothers you as a coach. In our halfcourt defense, we did a pretty good job. We've got to improve. The league is not going back the other way." Free-throw woes The Cavs' free-throw shooting has been abysmal. They are ranked 26th in the NBA at .760. Atkinson said it's because three of their top free-throw shooters – Garland, Merrill and Max Strus – have been injured. Bob Finnan can be reached at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.