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Cavs hold J.R. Smith out of 2nd half with hamstring injury

Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

The defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers are up two games on the Indiana Pacers, but they may also be down a starter, as J.R. Smith was sidelined for the second half of Monday's Game 2 due to a left hamstring injury.

Smith, who could be seen favoring his left leg late in the second quarter, was on the bench when the second half began, but said afterwards that he didn't need to undergo an MRI and that he hopes to play in Thursday's Game 3.

"If they let me play, I'll play. My leg ain't broke," Smith told ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "I wanted to play (tonight), they didn't want me to play."

Iman Shumpert, who hadn't logged a second of playing time through the first six quarters of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series, started the second half in Smith's place.

Smith has struggled through a frustrating season for the Cavs, averaging 8.6 points on a career-low 34.6 percent shooting in an injury-shortened, 41-game campaign. The 31-year-old signed a four-year, $51-million contract with Cleveland in October after the two sides failed to come to terms on a new deal during the offseason.

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