The playing status of Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love and point guard Kyrie Irving likely won’t be known until game time of their Thursday night home matchup against the Miami Heat.
Love, who left Sunday’s 87-86 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers with recurring back trouble after being hit with an elbow, hasn’t taken part in any contact since that contest. Meanwhile, Irving was a no-show at this morning’s shootaround due to an unspecified illness, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
If the two are unable to play it would remove 38 points per game out of the Cavs’ lineup. Irving is currently averaging 21.9 points (and over five assists) per contest, while Love is averaging 16.5 points, along with 10 rebounds.
The Heat might also be handicapped at the point guard position, with veteran Dwyane Wade also missing the morning shootaround with an illness. In addition, forwards Luol Deng and Udonis Haslem, both missed Tuesday night’s game against the San Antonio Spurs, due to knee trouble and illness, respectively.
Their status will also likely be a game-time decision for a team that is dealing with the absence of center Chris Bosh, who was sidelined for the season last month due to blood clots in his lungs.
The Cleveland-Miami game is set to tipoff just after 8 p.m. ET and will be broadcast nationally by TNT.
Presently, Cleveland has a three-game advantage in the race to capture the second seed in the Eastern Conference, ahead of both the Toronto Raptors and Chicago Bulls. Were the season to end today, the Cavaliers and Heat would meet in a first round playoff series.
