MIAMI _ The Cleveland Cavaliers are listing LeBron James and Kyrie Irving as out for Monday night's game against the Miami Heat at AmericanAirlines Arena, with Kevin Love listed as questionable.
Despite still being in position to dictate the race for the No. 1 overall seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Cavaliers apparently will prioritize rest in advance of this weekend's start of the NBA playoffs.
The Cavaliers are 0-6 in James' absence this season.
James and Irving were also held out, ostensibly also for rest, when the Cavaliers made their previous visit this season to AmericanAirlines Arena, a 120-92 Heat victory on March 4.
James has yet to win a game at AmericanAirlines Arena since leaving the Heat as a free agent in the 2014 offseason. He will now have sat out three of the Cavaliers' four visits over the past two seasons.
The Cavaliers issued the following status update Monday in the wake of Sunday's overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena:
_Tristan Thompson, (sprained right thumb, out)
_Kyrie Irving, (left knee tendinitis, out)
_LeBron James, (right calf strain, out)
_Kevin Love, (illness, questionable)
Even with Love listed as questionable, the Cavaliers are not listing Love in their projected starting lineup.
The Cavaliers are instead listing a projected starting lineup of Deron Williams at point guard, J.R. Smith at shooting guard, Channing Frye at center, Richard Jefferson at power forward and Iman Shumpert at small forward.
Of that five, Smith is the lone projected playoff starter for the Cavaliers.
