Kevin Love To Miss Friday's Matchup Against Kings With Sore Back

Love did not practice on Thursday ahead of Friday's game with Sacramento

Jon Rudder | Dec 8, 2022

Kevin Love To Miss Friday's Matchup Against Kings With Sore Back /

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Cleveland Cavaliers

Kevin Love will not play on Friday night when the Cavaliers host the Sacramento Kings at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Love was listed on the team's official injury report as out with lower back soreness.

The 15-year NBA did not practice on Thursday in what head coach J.B. Bickerstaff called a "treatment" day. Love has been dealing with a fractured right thumb that he suffered in a double-overtime win over the Charlotte Hornets back on November 18th.

Love sat out one game before trying to test the thumb three nights later, but only played 12 minutes and took two shots in a 114-102 win over the Atlanta Hawks. He missed the next five games while managing the pain before returning to the lineup for three-straight contests.

He played 8 minutes and scored two points in the Cavs 116-102 win over the Lakers on Wednesday night.

Love leads the NBA in charges drawn with 13 this season and is averaging ten points and seven rebounds per game while playing 20 minute per night coming off the bench.

The past two seasons have been a change for the three-time All-Star, as his role has changed from starter to role player on a team that now features a core of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.

Love has admittedly scuffled at times in growing into that new role, but has flourished into a key figure in the locker room and garnered sixth man of the year consideration last season.

"A lot of times, as adults we mask who we really are and it's not our fault or our problem," Bickerstaff said. Kevin is one of those people who looks inside of himself and tries to figure out how he can continue to get better as a basketball player, as a person, as a friend, now as a husband because growth is important to him. I think that's something he's taken to heart."

The Cavs host the Sacramento Kings on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

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