Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star forward Kevin Love will return from a broken left hand on Monday night to play against the Milwaukee Bucks, interim coach Larry Drew announced shortly before the contest.
Love, 29, has missed the past 21 games since breaking the fifth metacarpal on the hand in a Jan. 30 game against the Detroit Pistons.
Drew said Love will be on a minutes restriction and will open the game at center but could later move to power forward.
The five-time All-Star is averaging 17.9 points and 9.4 rebounds in 48 games this season.
Forward LeBron James was happy to hear the news about Love's return.
"Any time you can get another body and you add the fact that it's Kevin Love it definitely helps our team out tremendously," James told reporters. "He brings in 20 and 10 and somebody who's been in it with me the last four years. So I know what to expect out of him when he's in uniform. Definitely helps me out and helps the team out as well."
Love's return comes at a time when center Tristan Thompson (ankle) and power forward Larry Nance Jr. (hamstring) are out with injuries.
Drew became interim coach on Monday after Tyronn Lue was granted a leave of absence to deal with health issues.
--Field Level Media