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Cleveland Cavaliers' Kevin Love leaves game with busted tooth, concussion-like symptoms

Kevin Love took an inadvertent elbow to the face and is said to be experiencing concussion-like symptoms following the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 98-79 loss to the Miami Heat.

Love 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. A team spokesman said Love will be evaluated again Wednesday morning to see if he needs to enter the NBA’s concussion protocol. Here’s more from ESPN.com’s Dave McMenamin on how Love was faring after the game and what may be next for him:

“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.

Love will be re-evaluated on Wednesday morning, according to the team, at which point a determination will be made if he needs to enter the concussion protocol. His status for the Charlotte Hornets game is undetermined at this time.

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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. The Cavaliers visit the Hornets tonight (7 ET, NBA TV).

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