Donovan Mitchell Wants Cavs-Mavericks Game Canceled After Delay

A travel disruption stranded the Cavaliers in Miami after Friday’s loss to the Heat, leaving them scheduled to fly home Saturday morning before facing the Mavericks that night. Donovan Mitchell said he’d favor canceling the game, but the team’s plan remains to play.

• Friday’s loss to Miami: 133-121.
• Scheduled flight: 9 a.m.; estimated arrival in Cleveland: around noon.
• Saturday’s game against Dallas: 7:30 p.m. ET.
• Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo scored 37 points apiece.

Mitchell called the situation unprecedented and said the short turnaround makes an already difficult back-to-back tougher. Coach Kenny Atkinson said the team would adapt and focus on the next game.

• A nationwide ground stop tied to an air-traffic-control communication issue disrupted travel; the team couldn’t secure a new pilot until Saturday morning.
• The Cavaliers are expected to reach Cleveland around noon, leaving only a few hours before tipoff.
• Cleveland was also without Evan Mobley, Sam Merrill and Nae’Qwan Tomlin against Miami.

The Cavaliers are still scheduled to host Dallas Saturday night, with the team expected to travel from Miami that morning and play as planned.

Cleveland faces a compressed travel-and-recovery window, but the team’s message is to adjust and compete rather than count on a postponement.