CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Kevin Love will play tonight against the Milwaukee Bucks after missing the last 21 games with a broken bone in his left hand, acting Cavs coach Larry Drew said.
Drew also said Kyle Korver was still a game-time decision. Korver missed Cleveland's last game because his brother is seriously ill, but Drew said Korver is also dealing with soreness from a lingering bruise of his right foot.
Drew said that Tristan Thompson (sprained right ankle) was nearing a return. The team's original timeline for his absence was two weeks, which is today.
As for Love, an All-Star who is averaging 17.9 points and 9.4 rebounds, Drew said he'd be on a minutes restriction tonight and start at center.
"It's a huge lift," Drew said of Love's return. "Certainly with Kevin, he gives us that real inside presence along with his ability to shoot the ball from the outside, more than anything. I think we've really missed being able to go to someone else inside other than LeBron (James). With his ability to shoot the basketball, you need a guy like that. Particularly when he's at the 5. Teams have a tough time matching up with him when he's at the 5. It's certainly good to have him back."
Thompson and Larry Nance Jr. (right hamstring injury) are also centers, and Drew said when they return the Cavs would be able to use Love at both center and power forward.
The Cavs went 11-10 in Love's absence. He was injured early in the first quarter of a loss in Detroit on Jan. 30. He has yet to play with Nance, Rodney Hood (who is out tonight with a bad back), Jordan Clarkson, and George Hill -- the four players the Cavs acquired in trades on Feb. 8.
Korver was the Cavs' starting shooting guard in his last two games -- a win in Phoenix and loss in Portland. He scored 22 and 19 points in those games with the sore foot.