Isaac Okoro and Dean Wade both leave game vs. Hornets

Okoro and Wade both sustained ankle injuries.

The Cleveland Cavaliers were able to extend their winning streak, but they didn’t come through unscathed. Isaac Okoro and Dean Wade both exited with left ankle sprains and weren’t able to return. Kenny Atkinson didn’t have an update on the status of either after the win against the Charlotte Hornets. He hoped that both would be available for Tuesday’s showdown with the Boston Celtics.

The injuries are starting to catch up with the Cavs despite the coaching staff’s best effort to spread the minutes out among the team. That isn’t a guarantee against injuries, especially during a three-and-a-half-week stretch where the Cavs haven’t had consecutive days without a game.

“I think we did the best we could with distributing minutes,” Atkinson said after the win over Charlotte. “You can’t fight the schedule. You just can’t. You’re gonna end up being short-handed too much. So I’m a little disappointed we had a couple of guys go down tonight. But this is a tough league. This is a tough league physically. I don’t know if the fans can even grasp how hard it is.”

The Cavs will have a tough time matching up with Boston’s wing-heavy team if neither Wade nor Orkoro can go. They’re already without their starting small forward in Max Strus. That leaves them with just Caris LeVert as the only player currently in the rotation who can comfortably step into that role.

Okoro has averaged 5.9 points and 2.1 rebounds in 20.2 minutes per contest. Wade has averaged 5.5 points and 4.2 rebounds in 22 minutes a game.