Cavs coach Tyronn Lue announced Tuesday night that starting point guard Kyrie Irving will take the night off. Irving has had a strong season coming off an NBA title and Gold Medal for the United States, but was caught complaining of tired legs on Saturday night during the Cavs victory over the Charlotte Hornets. The Cavs host the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night before playing them again on Wednesday on the road.
In Irving’s place will be DeAndre Liggins, who has stepped into a rotation role. He’ll be asked to do a bit of ball-handling with Irving out, but LeBron James is likely to continue playing a huge role in distributing. You also might expect to see Kevin Love step up and take on increased usage without Irving in the mix. The Grizzlies are incredibly beat up, but somehow keep winning basketball games. We will see how Irving’s absence factors in tonight.