Cavaliers' Love suffers back injury in win over 76ers, doesn't expect to miss time

The Cleveland Cavaliers lost power forward Kevin Love to a lower-back injury in Sunday's 87-86 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. 

Love immediately walked off the court after taking an elbow to his back midway through the fourth quarter and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest. He double-doubled, scoring 10 points while grabbing 10 rebounds in 31 minutes before leaving.

The three-time All-Star's departure came after the Cavaliers had already lost Iman Shumpert in the first half with an ankle injury. 

In his first season with the Cavaliers, Love has already missed time with back issues, making the latest incident somewhat concerning as Cleveland tries to lock up the Central Division. But head coach David Blatt downplayed the severity and didn't appear concerned about it being something that would impact Love long term.

Both Shumpert and Love will get plenty of time to recover, as the Cavaliers don't play again until Thursday versus the Miami Heat. Love told reporters he doesn't expect to miss any time.

"I just have to take these next couple days," Love said. "It's kind of fortunate with Shump and myself that we have these couple days."

The win moved Cleveland 2.5 games ahead of the Chicago Bulls for first place in the division. 

Love has had an up-and-down ride with the Cavaliers, but remains a rebounding machine and threat from long range. He's averaging 16.6 points and 10 rebounds, while knocking down 1.9 triples per game.