Cavaliers' LeBron James, Kyrie Irving out Friday against Pacers
LeBron James and Kyrie Irving will both miss the Cleveland Cavaliers' game on Friday night against the Indiana Pacers, head coach David Blatt told reporters.
James had a sore back after Thursday's game against the Golden State Warriors and will sit out Friday to rest.
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An MRI on Irving's left shoulder earlier Friday in Cleveland revealed a shoulder sprain. He did not travel with the team to Indianapolis, Blatt said. Irving injured the shoulder against the Warriors and will be reevaluated before Sunday's game against the Houston Rockets, the team said.
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Irving was injured during the second half of Cleveland’s 110-99 win over Golden State, but he still scored 24 points and grabbed three rebounds in 38 minutes.
"It's a little sore right now," Irving said, according to ESPN.com. "Obviously it's uncomfortable. We'll see how it feels tomorrow and go from there."
Irving is averaging 21.7 points, 5.2 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 56 games this season for the Cavaliers, who have won four games in a row.
The Cavaliers are now in third place in the Eastern Conference, a game back of the Toronto Raptors and nine games behind the Atlanta Hawks.
- Scooby Axson