The Cleveland Cavaliers are set to kick off a four-game homestand on Friday night with a matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans, but it sounds like they could be without Kyle Korver, Kevin Love, and maybe even J.R. Smith.
Love, who was placed under the NBA’s concussion protocol program after taking an elbow to the mouth during the first quarter of Tuesday night’s loss to the Miami Heat, has been upgraded to questionable, according to a report from Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. Though he still has some tests to pass, Vardon notes that Love was working out during Friday morning’s practice. We’ll try to keep an eye on his status going forward.
Korver has been on an excused leave of absence since March 19 due to the passing of his younger brother, Kirk. The sharpshooting guard returned to Cleveland on Wednesday, but it sounds like he’s dealing with a foot bruise.
According to Vardon:
Korver has been out since the death of his brother, but in the meantime he’s also been nursing a bruised right foot that was bothering him before he took leave.
Smith, who scored 19 points off the bench in Wednesday’s win over the Charlotte Hornets, missed Friday morning’s practice due to an illness, per Vardon. He’s currently listed as questionable against the Pelicans.
Friday night’s Cavs-Pelicans game is scheduled to tip inside Quicken Loans Arena at 8:00 p.m. EST with ESPN and FOX Sports Ohio having live broadcast coverage. With less than ten games remaining on their schedules, both teams will be looking to end this season on a high note.
