Cleveland Cavaliers star Kevin Love has been placed in the concussion protocol and will not play in Wednesday's game against the Charlotte Hornets.
The Cavaliers have not released a timeline for how long Love will be sidelined.
Love was inadvertently elbowed in the mouth by Heat center Jordan Mickey, forcing him out of the Cavaliers' 98-79 loss to Miami on Tuesday. The first-quarter hit caused a front tooth subluxation -- meaning the tooth is loose but not displaced.
Love, who is averaging 17.1 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, later showed some concussion-like symptoms at halftime and was held out of the second half for precautionary reasons.
Under the protocol, a player may not return to game action until: he is without concussion-related symptoms at rest; he has been evaluated by a physician; he has completed a series of gradually intensified physical activities from a stationary bike, to jogging, to agility work, to non-contact team drills without experiencing any setbacks; and and a team physician has gotten further clearance on the player by consulting with the director of the NBA concussion program, Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher.
The Cavs' lead over the Philadelphia 76ers for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference was cut to just half a game with eight games remaining on their regular-season schedule.
