CLEVELAND, OH – Kevin Love won't play against the Trail Blazers on Saturday night due to a sore back. Love already missed on game against the Knicks earlier in the week, following an ugly fall against Philadelphia on Nov. 17.
“He’s not going to help us today,” head coach John Beilein said. “He could probably gut through it, but it’s not advantageous for us or the team tonight or in the future if he tries to gut this through.”
Larry Nance Jr. will start in Love’s place against Portland. The Cavaliers are looking to end a 6-game losing streak, which included a 42-point loss in Dallas on Friday.
Learning from the Best
Beilein hopes young guards Collin Sexton and Darius Garland can take something from Saturday’s matchup with CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard.
“They got guards that just play the right way all the time,” Beilein said. “I want our guards to be excited to be playing against these two guards.”
Sexton had five of the Cavaliers’ 23 assists on Friday night against the Mavericks, which was a career-high. It was also a big night for Garland, who had his best game as a professional on Friday, finishing with 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting and four assists.
The Cavaliers’ young guards could have more opportunities to score against the Trail Blazers with Love sidelined with a back injury.
Other Notes
The Cavaliers have been outscored by an average of 19.1 points-per-game during their 6-game losing streak. They’ve lost by at least 18 points in four straight games.
The Cavaliers are 29th in the NBA in assists-per-game with 19.7. Only Portland is worse, averaging 19.5 assists-per-game.
Both teams enter Saturday night desperate for a win. The Trail Blazers have lost three straight games.
