The NBA season is getting really interesting with just a few weeks remaining until the playoffs, making each game more and more meaningful. With competitive races in both the Eastern and Western Conferences, there are a number of injuries to key players on some of the league's best teams that could affect their chances of winning an NBA title. Here are all the latest NBA news & rumors you need to know:
Kevin Love expected to return next week
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love, who has been out since the end of January with a broken hand, is hoping to return to the team next week, according to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com.
Love, who broke a bone in his left hand on Jan. 30, told cleveland.com he was hopeful to play against Phoenix at The Q on March 23. The Cavs play the East-leading Raptors on March 21 and are in Brooklyn March 25.
Love was hesitant on a precise target date -- as the Cavs play every other day, which limits practice opportunities -- but he's looking at next week.
Love is averaging 17.9 points and 9.4 rebounds per game this season.
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Stephen Curry will be re-evaluated on March 20
Stephen Curry has missed Golden State's last two games due to an ankle injury, and while the team was hoping for a quick recovery, Curry won't be re-evaluated again until March 20, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo! Sports:
Warriors star Stephen Curry will remain out and be re-evaluated on March 20 as he continues to progress with his tweaked right ankle.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 14, 2018
The Warriors are two games behind the Houston Rockets for the one seed in the West, but their focus is making sure that Curry is completely healthy for the playoffs.
He is averaging 26.3 points, 6.2 assists, and 5.1 rebounds per game this season.
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Marcus Smart may miss rest of the season
Boston Celtics point guard Marcus Smart suffered a right thumb injury in the team's loss to the Indiana Pacers on Sunday, and the injury is serious enough to where the team thinks he may miss the rest of the season, according to The Boston Herald’s Mark Murphy.
League source says Celtics don't know probability of Marcus Smart playing again this season. "(They're) waiting for that second opinion. Don't know if it's a 50 percent chance or a 30 percent chance. Just don't know."
— Mark Murphy (@Murf56) March 13, 2018
Smart is averaging 10.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.5 rebounds per game this season.
MORE NBA RUMORS: Gordon Hayward Hoping To Return This Season, Latest On Possible Kemba Walker Trade & More
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