Friday night’s return of Larry Nance Jr. and two of his teammates was a welcome sight for the injury-plagued Cleveland Cavaliers. In the case of Nance, it offered the newcomer his first opportunity to play together with Kevin Love, who only returned to action last Monday after seven weeks of rehabilitating a fractured left hand. After the game, Nance talked about the value of having Love on the court.
The best part of playing with @kevinlove for the first time since joining the @cavs?@Larrydn22 has an answer for @FSOAllieOop. pic.twitter.com/XrXx5OmxbB
— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) March 24, 2018
Nance, who was acquired on Feb. 8 among a flurry of NBA trade deadline deals made by the Cavs, had missed the past four games due to a hamstring injury suffered in a March 13 road game against the Phoenix Suns. Thus, establishing any sort of chemistry between Nance and Love had been impossible until Friday night’s win, which was sparked by a huge 32-7 second-quarter run by Cleveland.
The early results, albeit against one of the worst teams in the league, were promising, with Nance contributing a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds and Love tossing in 20 points and grabbing six boards. From a team perspective, it helped the Cavaliers hold a commanding 54-36 edge in rebounds, an area where they had been struggling in the midst of all of their injuries. The numbers offer potential for the Cavaliers as they wind down the regular season and prepare for what they hope will be another lengthy postseason run.
