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The Cavaliers are getting some good injury news as they start their West Coast road trip.
According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, forward Jeff Green will play Wednesday against the Nuggets after missing three of the Cavs’ last four with lower back soreness:
Asked Jeff Green at shootaround if he’s playing tonight. “I’m not talking to you,” he said. I was taken aback, then I realized I was wearing a blue Syracuse hoodie with an orange block S. The old Big East might have died, but Cuse-Georgetown lives! (And yes, he’s playing)
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 7, 2018
Green’s return gives the Cavs some needed depth up front. Ante Zizic played well in his first real NBA minutes Monday against the Pistons, but the Cavs are without both Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson at the moment. Green can slide in, play some minutes at the four and keep LeBron James and Larry Nance Jr. from having to rack up too many minutes.
It will also be interesting to see how Green is deployed with the Cavs’ current injury situation. Tyronn Lue used a lineup of Jose Calderon, Jordan Clarkson, Kyle Korver, Cedi Osman and Zizic to start the second quarter of Monday’s game, and then went back to it later on. Green’s return may mean he doesn’t use that lineup again and, for better or worse, leans on Green to score while LeBron sits.
For the year, Green is averaging 10.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.