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Andrew LopezESPN
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love returned to action on Friday night in a 116-82 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans after missing all but two games this season.
Love played just 10 minutes, scoring 4 points, and did not play in the second half.
“His role tonight is going to be limited,” Cavs coach J. B. Bickerstaff said before the game in New Orleans. “We kind of have that number in mind. We want to put him in position where he can build upwards. We don’t want to overdo anything tonight where he’s impacted for Sunday and then impacted moving forward.”
Love was in the starting lineup alongside Larry Nance Jr. and Jarrett Allen in the frontcourt. The game marked Nance’s return to the lineup as well. He has missed more than a month with a fractured finger on his left hand.
The versatile forward was a big part of Cleveland’s surprise start to the season and his defense has been sorely missed during the team’s swoon in recent weeks. He had 11 points and 4 rebounds in 28 minutes.
Love has not played since Dec. 27 because of a calf injury. Bickerstaff said the goal for Love is to play “as many games as possible” the rest of the season.
“If that means we have to monitor his minutes more than we would typically, I think that’s where our focus is … trying to get him in as many games as we can to finish out the season,” Bickerstaff said.
Bickerstaff said he’s not concerned about working Love back into the Cavs’ lineup.
“I think all the guys understand how good Kevin is,” Bickerstaff said. “They understand the impact he can have on a game. How he makes each and every player a better basketball player. My expectation is that it’s going to take a little bit of time because he’s been out for a while and there’s going to be an adjustment period.”