Kevin Love Needs More Touches When Cavaliers Offense Struggles, Tyronn Lue Says

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue wants to see Kevin Love get the ball more when the offense is struggling to score points.   

Speaking after Thursday's 104-103 victory over the Orlando Magic, in which the Cavs' nearly blew a 20-point lead, Lue noted the importance of being able to use Love in the post, per ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin:

"I know Kevin is playing the 5 and sometimes he has 5s guarding him, but we still got to be able to get him touches and involve him in the game. I thought tonight he was great defensively, but we didn't use him as much as we should have. But he still played through the game, and I thought he was great. But even in those offensive lulls, we got to still post him against 5s and just see what he can do down there."

Love didn't have a strong shooting night against the Magic. He went 3-of-10, including 1-of-6 from three-point range, though he did post a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. 

In the second half, Love only attempted four shots and made one. The Magic outscored Cleveland 56-37 over the final 24 minutes, but Isaiah Thomas' two free throws with 11 seconds remaining gave the Cavs a much-needed victory to end their four-game losing streak. 

Despite Love's mediocre game, he is having his best season since the Cavaliers acquired him. His field-goal percentage (46.0) and three-point percentage (40.4) are the highest since the 2010-11 season when he was with the Minnesota Timberwolves.