The Cleveland Cavaliers have placed All-Star forward Kevin Love into the NBA’s concussion protocol and he will not play tonight against the Charlotte Hornets (7 ET, NBA TV).
The team announced today that Love will sit because of the tooth injury and concussion-like symptoms he sustained in last night’s loss to the Miami Heat. Here’s the team’s official release on Love’s injury:
Following Tuesday night’s front tooth subluxation in the first quarter and subsequently experiencing concussion-like symptoms at halftime and not returning to play, Cavaliers forward Kevin Love received additional evaluation Wednesday morning and has been placed in the NBA concussion protocol. He is OUT for Tuesday’s game in Charlotte vs. the Hornets and his status will be updated as appropriate.
Love suffered his injury when he tried to take a charge on Heat center Jordan Mickey, who knocked loose one of Love’s front teeth. After laying on the court for a minute, Love walked to the locker room and missed the rest of the first quarter.
Love came back in the second quarter, but was re-evaluated at halftime and didn’t return. ESPN.com’s Dave McMenamin had more last night on how Love was faring after the game:
“The only update is, when he got hit in the mouth in the first half, we saw there was some blood coming from his mouth. I believe it was his tooth,” Cavs acting head coach Larry Drew said. “They took him back, and he came back out in the first half. After halftime we just made the decision to hold him out.”
The Cavs determined Love suffered a front tooth subluxation — meaning the tooth is loose, but not displaced — and he sat out the remainder of the first quarter before trying to give it a go to start the second quarter.
Love showed some concussion-like symptoms at halftime, according to a team spokesman, and was held out of the second half of the game for precautionary reasons.
This was Love’s fifth game back after missing 21 games with a broken bone in his left hand. He was averaging 20.3 points and 10 rebounds in his first four games.
