Cavaliers' Mozgov to undergo MRI after suffering shoulder strain

Cleveland Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov suffered a right shoulder injury during Thursday's clash with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Power forward Tristan Thompson started the second half in place of Mozgov, who told Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com that he'll undergo an MRI on Friday.

"Yes, it's still sore," Mozgov said of his shoulder after the Cavaliers' 115-100 victory. "I don't know what it is. I don't know how it happened. We'll see tomorrow."

The Russian center played a pivotal role in stabilizing the Cavaliers' defense after coming over in a midseason trade in 2014-15, but a lack of conditioning and a lingering knee injury have factored into his slow start.

Mozgov's averaging 8.5 points, five rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 21.7 minutes per game this season.

If he's out for any considerable stretch, the Cavaliers will likely turn to a three-man rotation of Thompson, Kevin Love, and Anderson Varejao to mop up frontcourt minutes.