Cavs big man Ante Zizic has been placed in the NBA’s concussion protocol program and will be held out of Saturday’s game against the Detroit Pistons, according to an official report from the team:
Zizic took a hit to the face from Henry Ellenson during the second half of Thursday’s 125-118 victory over the New York Knicks. He immediately went down in pain and was treated on the sideline for what appeared to be a nose bleed. He did not return to play and is now listed as day-to-day.
Prior to exiting Thursday’s game, Zizic posted eight points on 3-of-6 shooting from the field, five rebounds and two assists.
The Cavs (15-47 and fifth in the Central Division standings) have struggled to find a rhythm this season. Injuries have a played a role, to be sure. Despite that fact, Zizic is continuing to develop into a a solid center.
In 45 appearances with the Cavs this season (16 starts), Zizic has racked up averages of 7.1 points on 53.6 percent shooting and 5.2 rebounds in 17.2 minutes per outing.
In other Cavs-related injury news, Tristan Thompson was unable to practice with the team on Friday, as he continues to recover from a foot injury. All in all, Double T has missed 17 straight games, but the team is giving him all the time he needs.
“We are going to continue to let him take his time until he’s ready come back,” Cavs head coach Larry Drew told Spencer Davies of BBallInsiders. “Not until then. We are not going to take any chances with anything. Just allow him to heal.”
Saturday’s Cavs-Pistons game is scheduled to tip inside Quicken Loans Arena at 5:00 p.m. ET, with FOX Sports Ohio having live broadcast coverage.