Significant blow to playoff chances if Irving is confirmed out.
Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving could be ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering a left biceps injury on Sunday night.
Irving went to the locker room late in the first quarter in the 102-80 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers and did not return with the Cleveland Plain Dealer reporting that he could now miss the rest of the season.
The 21-year-old leads the Cavaliers in scoring and assists this year while he was also crowned the All-Star game MVP after what has been a successful season on an individual level.
However, Cleveland have struggled to secure playoff basketball despite the trade deal bringing Luol Deng to the franchise from the Chicago Bulls.
The Cavs have also added Spencer Hawes and despite signs of improvement and developing into a real playoff contender, Irving’s absence from now until the end of the regular season would be a huge blow for coach Mike Brown to deal with.
Irving is scheduled to have an MRI scan on Monday to discover the full extent of the injury, but he remains the top scorer amongst Eastern Conference point guards with 21.5 points per game along with an average of 6.3 assists, with his injury now likely to result in Jarrett Jack sliding over to replace him at the point.
Cleveland are four-and-a-half games adrift of the Atlanta Hawks who currently occupy the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, and without Irving in the line-up it will undoubtedly bring into question their objectives this season if they have to continue without their star player.
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