Heat's Kevin Love Out vs. Raptors After Suffering Arm Injury Ahead of NBA Playoffs

Miami Heat forward Kevin Love was ruled out for the remainder of the team's matchup with the Toronto Raptors on Sunday after suffering an upper left arm contusion.

He was visibly in pain on the bench, though it's unclear what caused the injury:

He finished the contest with no stats in just three minutes, missing one shot.

The Heat were already without Duncan Robinson (back), Terry Rozier (neck) and Josh Richardson (right shoulder surgery) on Sunday.

Those injury concerns came as the Heat found themselves fighting for playoff positioning, with a tiny chance of climbing as high as the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, though it would require a win over the Raptors paired with wins from Milwaukee, Atlanta and Brooklyn.

The more likely scenario was settling into either the No. 7 or 8 seeds, requiring them to go through the Play-In Tournament to reach the postseason.

Love has offered the Heat a solid frontcourt option off the bench this season, averaging nine points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, making just five starts. He's no longer the player who was a five-time All-Star in his prime, but he's provided solid scoring and rebounding in a reserve role.

The 35-year-old, who has a $4 million player option with the team for next season, has enjoyed his time in Miami since being signed by the organization on the buyout market during the 2022-23 campaign.

"I think the thing that's most gratifying to me is that going to a new location or a new team or a new organization, new city, especially at this stage in your career, you never know what's going to happen," he told reporters in February. "And after that run last year, I got so much fun out of it, as well as guys I'll have relationships for life, bigger than basketball."

"My daughter was born on June 10, right after Game 4 (of the NBA Finals)," he continued. "We bought a new house in Miami. It's almost like we got to start our life in a place where we have a lot of friends and a lot of great teammates and people in the organization who have become family in a pretty quick time, So it has been a very happy year."