Kevin Love to miss two game road trip to rest groin injury
Kevin Love, the rebounding machine of NBA will not be able to play for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the next two games constituting the road trip in order to rest strained groin. Love will not be able to provide services in contests against the Dallas Mavericks
and Oklahoma City Thunder on March 24 and 25 respectively.
The power forward received the injury while playing against the Utah Jazz the previous week. The player ignored it and scored 22 points and 11 rebounds making it 63rd time he scored a double-double this season.
Despite the pain, he did not leave the game and continued to play in the game on Friday vs. Los Angeles Lakers. The player scooped out 15 points and 13 rebounds in a contest that Los Angeles Lakers’ coach Phil Jackson called a ‘difficult game’. The Wolves
lost 106-98 to the two times NBA defending champions but did not know that Love’s injury would only severe after that.
Taking the burden on his shoulders, the 22-year-old ignored the injury and started Sunday’s game against the Sacramento Kings. But the pain took its toll on him and limited him to just 14 minutes on the floor. Love could only contribute three rebounds and
dished out four assists without a point as the Wolves became target of the Kings with an embarrassing 127-95 loss at Target Center, Minneapolis.
The injury forced the NBA All-Star to miss Tuesday’s practice and later on it was decided that he will not make it with his team during the coming road trip.
Love is league leader in rebounds and has averaged 20.3 points and 15.4 rebounds in the current season. The player started all of the Timberwolves’ 71 games this season. Not only this, but he also broke Moses Malone’s streak of 51 consecutive double-doubles
to etch his name in history.
Things have recently turned upside down for the superstar though. He let go of his double-double streak but he was all satisfied with it. It was nothing else but his double-double streak that kept Minnesota in the news even when they were stumbling. The
player after letting go of his double-double streak said that he was OK with it and he would continue to play better for the team as he won’t be under a pressure to clinch a double-double.
The Timberwolves who have lost seven of the last ten games will need another high energy player to start the game in place of Love. As per Rick Carlisle, Dallas Mavericks coach, “He’s (Love) become a high impact player, obviously, this year. I don’t know
his situation, but if he doesn’t play they’ll have another high energy guy out there running around.’’
Anthony Randolph will be filling in for the injured player and according to Wolves coach Kurt Rambis it will be a good opportunity for the player who was recently acquired from New York Knicks.