Cavaliers' Kevin Love reportedly could be out 6-8 weeks with broken hand
Love injured his hand during Cleveland's game against the Pistons on Tuesday
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1 min read
This hasn't been a good week for All-Stars when it comes to injuries.
First DeMarcus Cousins tore his Achilles. Then the Wizards announced that John Wall would have a knee procedure and be out for two months. Now it's Kevin Love's turn.
Love broke his hand during Tuesday's game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons, and will reportedly miss 6-8 weeks.
The X-ray on Kevin Love's left hand revealed a non-displaced fracture in his left hand fifth metacarpal. Love will not return to play tonight. His status will be updated after additional examination and consultation tomorrow in Cleveland, per the Cavs.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 31, 2018
Kevin Love likely out 6-8 weeks
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) January 31, 2018
Here's the play where Love was injured:
The #PlayersOnly crew reacts to the reports that Kevin Love has broken his left hand and could miss 6-8 weeks. pic.twitter.com/Vnvt3rP6qe
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 31, 2018
The injury comes at the worst possible time for the Cavs, who had won two games in a row entering Tuesday's game after losing 10 of 13. The bad month was accompanied by some reported finger-pointing and hostility from the Cavs, with Isaiah Thomas questioning why Love left the team's blowout loss to the Thunder early.
SportsLine data scientist Stephen Oh's computer projection model shows a decline for the Cavs with Love out of the lineup.
| Cleveland Cavaliers | Wins | Playoff Seed | Title chances |
|---|---|---|---|
Before injury | 49.8 | No. 3 | 6.3% |
Love out six weeks | 48.5 | No. 4 | 5.7% |
Impact | -1.3 | -1 | -0.6% |
Last week Love was named to the All-Star team for the fifth time in his career, and he's averaging 18.2 points and 9.6 rebounds this season while shooting 40 percent on 3-pointers. Coach Tyronn Lue had recently moved Love back to power forward in the starting lineup alongside Tristan Thompson, and now those minutes will likely be filled by Jae Crowder, Jeff Green and Channing Frye.
Cleveland was already expected to make at least one move before the Feb. 8 trade deadline, and it will interesting to see if Love's injury shifts the team's focus.
