Kevin Love exits Cavs-Celtics Game 4 early with left shoulder injury
Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love will miss the remainder of Game 4 of his team’s first-round playoff series with the Boston Celtics on Sunday after injuring his shoulder in a battle for a loose ball with Boston’s Kelly Olynyk:
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With just under 5 1/2 minutes remaining in the opening quarter, Love and Olynyk were scrapping for rebounding position after a missed 3-pointer by Boston’s Jae Crowder. Olynyk latched onto Love’s left arm as they ran away from the basket; after a couple of seconds of tangling, Love yelped in pain and instantly grabbed for his left shoulder. The referees whistled Olynyk for a loose-ball foul and Love sprinted straight off the court, back to the Cavaliers locker room.
Soon after Love exited the game, ABC’s Heather Cox reported that the Cavaliers said he will not return to action. Team physician Dr. Richard Parker was examining the arm, which had already been iced and wrapped. At this point, Cleveland’s just calling it a “left shoulder injury,” pending further examination.
For right now, we know that Love — who is averaging 18.3 points, nine rebounds and three assists in 33 minutes per game in first career playoff series, and who starred in Cleveland’s Game 3 win — will be out for the balance of Game 4. We’ll update with new information about the extent of Love’s injury and his prognosis as it becomes available.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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