Cleveland Cavaliers forward Jeff Green will be held out of Saturday night’s game against the Denver Nuggets due to lower back soreness, according to a report from Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. The former fifth overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft missed Tuesday night’s game against the Brooklyn Nets due to the same ailment.
Vardon reports that Green underwent an MRI scan on Saturday. No structural damage was found in the results, but it sounds like he could miss the next two games.
Green, now 31 years of age, has played well for the Cavs this season. In his 60 games played, the former Georgetown Hoya has racked up averages of 10.5 points on 48.5 percent shooting from the field (30.9 percent from beyond the arc), 3.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists.
Green played 22 minutes in Cleveland’s 108-97 loss to the Sixers, scoring five points on 1-6 shooting from the field, four rebounds, and one assist
The Cavs, now the third-ranked team in the Eastern Conference standings with a 36-25 overall record, will have to fill Green’s position by committee, as he’s simply tough to replace outright. Players like Cedi Osman, Jordan Clarkson, Rodney Hood, and even LeBron James could see their minutes increase.
Saturday night’s Cavs-Nuggets game is set to tip inside Quicken Loans Arena at 7:30 p.m. EST with FOX Sports Ohio having live broadcast coverage. Let’s see if the Cavs can manage a win without one of their key bench players.
