Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Cavs' Starters Out vs. Mavs After Travel Issues Amid FAA Ground Stop

Donovan Mitchell, James Harden and the rest of the Cleveland Cavaliers' starting lineup won't be available heading into a matchup with the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night.

Cleveland's starting five was ruled out after the team experienced travel issues when heading home following a 133-121 road loss to the Miami Heat on Friday due to the Federal Aviation Administration's nationwide ground stop.

"There's a lot of thought that goes into it and I know our default is player care and player health above all," Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson explained to reporters on Saturday (0:12 mark). "That's how we approach things and we put everything into the conversation, what all of it means. You have to come up with decisions and I know our first priority of what's in the best interest of player health and player health long-term, right? So, that's how these decisions are made."

After all flights were grounded for over four hours on Friday, the Cavs stayed in Miami following their loss to the Heat before eventually flying back to Cleveland on Saturday morning.

Meleek Thomas, Tyrese Proctor, Jaylon Tyson, Mario Hezonja and Thomas Bryant will serve as Cleveland's starters against Dallas.

Atkinson is taking a cautious approach with the playing time of his starting lineup during the second of a back-to-back set of games after Evan Mobley, Peyton Watson and Jarrett Allen have already missed time due to injuries this season.

Mitchell and Harden appeared in each of the Cavaliers' first 13 games of the year, but they also won't be suiting up on Saturday. Harden played 35 minutes against the Heat on Friday night, while Mitchell played 33.

The Cavs have dealt with some inconsistency to begin their 2026-27 campaign after advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals last season.

Cleveland has gone just 2-5 since opening the year with a 4-2 record. The Cavs own the league's No. 8 offensive rating this season, but their 115.3 defensive rating ranks No. 22 among all teams (via NBA.com).

Tip-off between Cleveland and Dallas on Saturday is at 7:30 p.m. ET.