Kevin Love Injury: Updates on Cavaliers Star's Back and Return
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love is dealing with back soreness that caused him to exit Monday's matchup against the Golden State Warriors early.
It is currently unclear when he'll return to the court.
Continue for updates.
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Love Injury Details Revealed
Monday, Jan. 16
At the start of the second half, Love was ruled out for the remainder of the game due to lower-back soreness, according to ESPN's Marc Stein.
Love scored three points and grabbed three rebounds in 16 minutes before exiting in the second quarter.
Love's defensive stand against Stephen Curry in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals almost single-handedly turned around the narrative on his tenure with the Cavaliers.
Love remained productive during the first two years he spent in Cleveland, but the three-time All-Star failed to match his numbers from his time with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Buoyed by the Cavs' title and his role in making it happen, Love has returned to his old self. In 35 games entering Monday, the 28-year-old is averaging 21.2 points and 11 rebounds per contest. His three-point percentage has also climbed from 36.0 in 2015-16 to 38.5.
While the Cavaliers still have LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, they'll struggle to replace Love in the lineup. Channing Frye and Richard Jefferson are both too old to expect them to play starting roles, and Cleveland doesn't have the depth at center to move Tristan Thompson to power forward.
Head coach Tyronn Lue will likely move James to the 4, given his lack of viable options.
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