CLEVELAND: Kevin Love did not travel with the team to Dallas late Sunday and will not play Monday when the Cavaliers face the Mavericks. Instead, he stayed behind in Cleveland to have an MRI on his ailing back.
Love left in the second quarter Sunday and did not return with what the team called back spasms. It’s the second time in the past two weeks his back has forced him out of a game early and caused him to miss the next game. How long he’s out this time, however, remains to be seen.
“It’s nothing to play with,” said LeBron James, who dealt with his own series of back problems two years ago. “It’s a terrible feeling when your back is hurt. It just limits you more than anything.”
Coach Tyronn Lue acknowledged Love’s back was bothering him when he arrived to the arena Sunday, but he tried playing through it. Love missed all four of his shots and finished with one point and eight rebounds in 12 minutes.
“When he got out there, he felt something and he tried to give it a go again, and he just couldn’t go,” Lue said. “We had to get him out.”
Love’s absence leaves the Cavs with just two healthy big men in Tristan Thompson and Channing Frye. Thompson had one of his best defensive games of the season Sunday with 19 points, 12 rebounds, four blocks and four steals. James called Thompson “the one rim protector that we have,” and he will be relied on even more if Love is forced to miss an extended period of time. The Cavs have an open roster spot if they need to add a big man from the Development League on a 10-day contract.
“This has been our mantra since we all came together: Next man up. We talk about it every year,” Thompson said. “We hope Kevin gets well, takes care of his body, because you know we’re going to need him for the long haul. So whatever he has to do to get 100 percent, that’s most important.”
Tough assignment
Iman Shumpert was given the task of guarding Russell Westbrook most of the day, and while Westbrook finished with a triple-double (20 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists), he shot just 7-of-26 and struggled most of the day.
Shumpert said the key when dealing with somebody like Westbrook is to not give him space and never lose track of him.
“Guarding Russell Westbrook and him being probably [the] most fierce competitor I’ve ever had to go against, he’s one of those guys that whether he’s playing good or bad he’s coming full speed. That’s one of those guys where you can’t really make that read of, ‘Oh, I’ve got him frustrated.’ You have to be locked and loaded and ready to go,” Shumpert said. “That moment that you usually can take a peek and see where that screen is coming from, he’s taking advantage of that — any false steps or reaches. You just have to stay disciplined the whole game and you have to rely on your bigs to cut off angles for you.”
Dribbles
Shumpert’s 16 points matched his season high. … Thompson is the first Cavs player to record four steals and four blocks in a game since Darius Miles did it on Nov. 8, 2002. The only other NBA player to score at least 19 points, grab at least 12 rebounds, block at least four shots and steal at least four passes this season is the New Orleans Pelicans’ Anthony Davis. … The Cavs had 52 rebounds Sunday, the seventh time this season they grabbed at least 50 in a game.
Jason Lloyd can be reached at jlloyd@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Cavs blog at www.ohio.com/cavs. Follow him on Twitter www.twitter.com/JasonLloydABJ.