MINNEAPOLIS — The Cavs will welcome back one of their missing players Thursday night.
Sources tell cleveland.com that reserve forward Larry Nance Jr., who has been sidelined for more than a month because of a nagging calf strain, is available to play against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
It’s unclear whether Atkinson will immediately put Nance back in the rotation or continue with the nine- or ten-man group that has received most of the workload lately.
Cleveland has won four of its last five games, entering Thursday night tied with Orlando for seventh place in the wide-open Eastern Conference.
Nance, one of the team’s offseason acquisitions who was brought home to provide depth, stability and leadership, suffered a Grade 1 calf strain on Nov. 28 and has been mostly limited since. Over the last few weeks, he has increased on-court activity, including participation in the Cavaliers’ practice Wednesday afternoon in Minnesota and then again Thursday morning — a voluntary shootaround inside Target Center. Feeling good about how the calf responded to both workouts, Nance finally received medical clearance to play.
Prior to his injury, the 33-year-old Akron native was averaging a career-low 3.3 points and 2.8 rebounds off the bench.