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Cleveland Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley is heading back to the injured list, and is likely facing another extended stay, according to The Athletic. No definitive timeline has been offered, but Mobley, who sprained his ankle in the team's comeback win over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, is expected to be out "awhile." 

In the middle of the third quarter of the stunning win over the Celtics, Mobley surged to the basket for a slam. Despite being all by himself, he rolled his ankle upon landing and was moving gingerly when he got back to his feet. He checked out at the next dead ball and did not return. 

The ankle issue is the latest in what has been a frustrating third season for Mobley. He missed 22 games from Dec. 8 through Jan. 26 after undergoing knee surgery and only recently had his minutes restriction lifted. Now, with a little over a month left in the regular season, he's going to miss another long stretch. At this point, it's too early to say if he'll be available for the start of the playoffs. 

In 38 games this season, Mobley is averaging 15.6 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 57.8% from the field. Save for blocks, all of those marks are career highs. His absence will be a blow for a Cavaliers team that has limited frontcourt depth and is battling the Milwaukee Bucks for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. Entering Wednesday, the Cavs are half a game back of their Central Division foe. 

While JB Bickerstaff and Co. would obviously prefer to have Mobley healthy, it is worth noting that their best stretch of the season started with Mobley (and Darius Garland) on the sideline. Their schedule had a lot to do with the 17-1 run, but the injuries also forced the Cavs to play one-big lineups and space the floor with shooting. To that point, that's exactly how they pulled off their comeback against the Celtics. 

While the Cavs can't expect Dean Wade to hit six 3-pointers every night, the one-big lineups have simply been much better this season. Their second-most-used five-man group of Donovan Mitchell, Wade, Isaac Okoro, Max Strus and Jarrett Allen has a plus-19.6 net rating in 232 minutes. Going back to that group once Mitchell and Strus, who are also dealing with (short-term) injuries at the moment, return to the floor will be a much easier decision with Mobley unable to play.