CLEVELAND — Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen was ruled out for his team’s Game 5 matchup against the Orlando Magic with a rib bruise, leaving Cleveland without its most consistent player so far in this playoff series.

Cleveland will go small against Orlando on Tuesday, starting a guard (Isaac Okoro) in place of Allen. The best-of-seven first-round series is tied 2-2, and Allen is averaging 17 points and 13.8 rebounds in the series.

Allen did not appear on the Cavs’ injury report until Tuesday. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Allen was elbowed in the ribs in the second half of Game 4 on Saturday and tried to play through it. He played nearly 29 minutes in the Cavs’ loss, scoring 21 points and grabbing nine rebounds.

“It’s the ability to move safely and to react safely,” Bickerstaff said. “With your trunk or your core, if you can’t shift or get out of harm’s way or do certain things, it can put you in a position where it’s not safe to be out there.”

Entering Tuesday, the Magic have outrebounded Cleveland in this series and haven’t lost since moving Wendell Carter Jr. into the starting lineup at center for Game 3. Orlando has outscored the Cavs by a combined 61 points over the last two games.

Missing Allen forces Bickerstaff to make an adjustment. Cleveland will likely play more of its one-in, four-out style with four guards on the court. It was that particular style the Cavs rode for two months while their other starting big, Evan Mobley, was out. They were the best team in the NBA over that stretch.

Okoro is averaging 3.5 points for the series and was held scoreless the last two games. He has committed more fouls (nine) and turnovers (six) than shots he’s made in this series (five).

What’s the impact on the Magic?

Allen missing Game 5 is a stunning turn of events.

While it’s risky for outside observers (especially reporters) to play armchair psychologists, it’s fair to ask how a young team like the Magic will react to the absence of an opponent’s second-best player and best interior defender. Will they have a letdown?

Even before Allen’s absence, after Games 3 and 4, the Cavs figured to enter Game 5 as a desperate team. Cleveland ought to be even more desperate now, and Orlando, which has struggled with its starts the entire series, will need to find a way to match that intensity even with Allen out. — Josh Robbins, NBA senior writer

(Photo of Jarrett Allen: David Richard / USA Today)