Cavs center Tavares breaks his hand during practice

Posted May 13, 2017 7:00 am

By TOM WITHERS

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) - Cavaliers backup center Walter Tavares broke his right hand during practice this week.

While the injury isn't expected to hurt Cleveland going forward, it reinforced coach Tyronn Lue's plan not to scrimmage while the defending champions await an opponent in the Eastern Conference finals.

The 7-foot-3 Tavares, who was signed on the final day of the regular season, broke his hand during an informal scrimmage Thursday. An X-ray and bone scan confirmed the injury. The team said the rookie is out indefinitely.

Lue said the Cavaliers, who swept their first two series, won't scrimmage before playing either Washington or Boston in the conference finals starting Wednesday. The Wizards and Celtics play Game 7 of their semifinal series Monday.

Cleveland has had a rash of injuries to centers, with Chris "Birdman" Andersen and Andrew Bogut suffering season-ending knee injuries.

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More AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

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