Heat's Kevin Love: Erupts in third quarter vs. Pacers
Rotowire
Love totaled 15 points (6-8 FG, 3-4 3Pt), seven rebounds, two assists and four steals in 12 minutes during Friday's 124-111 victory over Indiana.
All 15 of Love's points Friday came in the third quarter as he helped extend the Heat's lead to as much as 22. Love missed Miami's first eight games of the 2024-25 regular season due to personal reasons, but he has started in the last three games, though his minutes will likely stay in the low teens as he works his way back up to game speed.
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Heat's Kevin Love: Limited minutes in season debut
Rotowire
Love (personal/conditioning) ended with six points (2-7 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 1-1 FT), six rebounds, two assists and two steals over 13 minutes during Sunday's 95-94 victory over Minnesota.
While the 36-year-old big man drew the start in his season debut in place of Nikola Jovic, it was Jovic who saw the bigger workload in Miami's frontcourt, playing 23 minutes off the bench. Love averaged only 16.8 minutes per game for the Heat in 2023-24 during the regular season and saw even less court time in the playoffs, so it's unlikely his role will increase significantly even after he gets his legs under him.
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Heat's Kevin Love: Starting Sunday
Rotowire
Love is in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Timberwolves.
Not only will Love be making his 2024-25 regular-season debut Sunday, but he will also draw the start while Nikola Jovic retreats to the bench. In 55 regular-season games (five starts) for Miami during the 2023-24 campaign, Love averaged 8.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists over 16.8 minutes per game.
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Heat's Kevin Love: Available to play Sunday
Rotowire
Love (personal) is not on the injury report and is available to make his season debut Sunday against the Timberwolves, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reports.
Love has yet to play this season due to personal reasons, but the veteran forward is expected to suit up Sunday. He should add some much-needed depth in the frontcourt, though he's not likely to play a sizable role off the bench.
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Heat's Kevin Love: Won't play Friday
Rotowire
Love (conditioning) has been ruled out for Friday's matchup against the Nuggets, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Love has yet to make his season debut due to personal reasons, though the veteran appears to be nearing a return to game action as the club works him back to playing form. The 36-year-old's next chance to feature will come Sunday against the Timberwolves.
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Heat's Kevin Love: Won't return Wednesday
Rotowire
Love (conditioning) will not play Wednesday against the Suns.
Love has yet to appear in a game this season and recently returned from a personal absence. It remains to be seen if he'll be available Friday versus Denver.
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Heat's Kevin Love: Late scratch
Rotowire
Love has been ruled out for Monday's game against the Kings due to return to competition conditioning.
Love was initially left off the injury report, suggesting he was clear to make his season debut, but it appears the veteran will need a few days to regain his conditioning after being away from the team for an extended period. His next chance to suit up will come Wednesday in Phoenix.
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Heat's Kevin Love: Not on injury report
Rotowire
Love (personal) is not on the injury report for Monday's game against the Kings.
It's already been reported that Love will likely make his 2024-25 debut Monday, and his exclusion from the injury report is further evidence. If Love does see the floor, it will likely be in a limited capacity.
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Heat's Kevin Love: Likely to make 2024-25 debut Monday
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Love (personal) is expected to be available for Monday's game against the Kings.
Love has yet to make his debut during the 2024-25 campaign while out due to personal reasons, though he is likely to return to game action Monday. The 36-year-old is expected to compete for playing time with Jaime Jaquez and Thomas Bryant in the frontcourt.
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Heat's Kevin Love: Won't play Saturday
Rotowire
Love (personal) is out for Saturday's game versus the Wizards, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Love will miss his fifth straight game to begin the 2024-25 campaign due to personal reasons. His next chance to suit up is Monday's matchup with Sacramento.
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Heat's Kevin Love: Remains out
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Love (personal) has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Knicks, Tim Reynolds of Associated Press reports.
Love has yet to play this season and remains away from the team due to personal reasons. Given the current trend, it seems unlikely the veteran will travel with the team to Mexico City for Saturday's game against the Wizards, but his status for that game won't be released until Friday.
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Heat's Kevin Love: Out again for Monday
Rotowire
Love (personal) is out for Monday's game against the Pistons.
Love will miss another game as he remains away from the team due to personal reasons. Kel'el Ware and Thomas Bryant are likely to share minutes behind Bam Adebayo.
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Heat's Kevin Love: Questionable for Monday
Rotowire
Love (personal) is questionable for Monday's matchup against the Pistons.
Love has been away from the team due to a personal matter, though he could potentially make his return Monday at home. If the veteran misses additional time, both Thomas Bryant and Kel'el Ware are candidates for extra minutes behind Bam Adebayo.
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Heat's Kevin Love: Won't travel with team
Rotowire
Love has been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Hornets after he was absent from Friday's practice due to personal reasons.
Love will not travel with the team to Charlotte, though he could return by Monday's game in Miami against the Pistons. However, the 36-year-old was ruled out for Wednesday's regular-season opener hours before tipoff, and it is unclear how long his absence will last. With both Love and Kel'el Ware (illness) ruled out, Thomas Bryant should be locked in as the top backup to starting center Bam Adebayo.
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Heat's Kevin Love: Absent from practice
Rotowire
Love (personal) didn't participate in Friday's practice, and it's undecided if he will travel with the team for Saturday's game versus Charlotte, Heat beat reporter Adam Lichtenstein reports.
Love already missed Miami's regular-season opener due to personal reasons and is now in danger of missing Saturday's contest. If the veteran big man doesn't play yet again, Thomas Bryant should continue to receive slightly increased playing time.
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Heat's Kevin Love: Out Wednesday with personal matter
Rotowire
Love has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Magic due to a personal matter.
Love was ruled out within 90 minutes of the 7:30 p.m. ET tipoff, which came as a surprise after the 36-year-old was removed from Wednesday's injury report. His next opportunity to make his 2024-25 debut will come Saturday versus Charlotte.
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Heat's Kevin Love: Will suit up Wednesday
Rotowire
Love (rest) isn't listed on the injury report for Wednesday's regular-season opener against the Magic, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reports.
As expected, Love gets the green light for the regular season after resting during the preseason finale. The veteran averaged 16.8 minutes per game last year and is expected to play a similar reserve role this season.
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Heat's Kevin Love: Remaining in Miami
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Love agreed Sunday with the Heat on a two-year deal worth over $8 million, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
On Saturday, Love declined his $4.03 million player option for the 2024-25 season, but he'll remain with Miami after quickly coming to terms on a two-year deal. The 35-year-old made 55 regular-season appearances for Miami in 2023-24, averaging 8.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 16.8 minutes per game. He'll look to fend off rookie first-round pick Kel'el Ware for the primary backup role behind starting center Bam Adebayo.
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Kevin Love: Testing free agency
Rotowire
Love declined his $4.03 million player option for the 2024-25 season Saturday and will become an unrestricted free agent, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Though Love will hit the open market, he and the Heat are optimistic about negotiating a new deal in the opening days of free agency. The veteran big man has carved out a nice role off the bench in Miami, where he has been productive in relatively short-minute stints. Overall, Love averaged 8.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.5 triples across 16.8 minutes in 55 appearances in 2023-24. If Love does in fact re-sign with Miami, he'll face a new challenger for the top backup role behind starting center Bam Adebayo, as the Heat used its first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft on Indiana big man Kel'el Ware.
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Heat's Kevin Love: Barely noticeable Monday
Rotowire
Love amassed zero points (0-2 FG, 0-2 3Pt), four rebounds and one assist in six minutes during Monday's 102-88 loss to the Celtics in Game 4 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Love logged just six minutes, failing to have any sort of real impact against an impressive Celtics squad. At this point in his career, Love doesn't have enough in the tank to provide Miami with meaningful production. As has been the case for the last few years, Love will not be a viable fantasy option next season.
