For their third exhibition matchup of the 2019 NBA preseason, the Cleveland Cavaliers will welcome the Indiana Pacers to Quicken Loans Arena. However, it sounds like the Cavs will be without the services of All-Star forward Kevin Love, according to a report from Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
The Cavs elected to hold out several players in Saturday’s 113-102 victory over the Boston Celtics, including David Nwaba (tweaked groin), George Hill, Tristan Thompson, Kyle Korver, and Love.
In his lone preseason appearance with the Cavs this year — a 102-95 win over the Celtics last week — Love recorded 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field (2-of-3 from beyond the arc), four rebounds, and one steal in 17 minutes of action.
With Love being held out of Monday night’s game, Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue will likely call on Larry Nance Jr, Channing Frye, or even Sam Dekker to fill the void at the power forward position.
Love, who recently signed a four-year, $120 million contract extension, has become the leader of the Cavaliers franchise in the wake of LeBron James’ departure to Los Angeles. In a September interview with Trevor Noah of The Daily Show, the former UCLA standout spoke about leading the team.
“So now, heading into a new era, it’s gonna be a challenge — you lose the best player in the world — but I think a lot of the guys are very excited for not only the opportunity, but also the challenge in growing something,” Love said.
Monday night’s preseason tilt between the Cavs and Pacers is set to tip inside The Q at 7:00 p.m. EST with Fox Sports Ohio having live broadcast coverage.