CLEVELAND (AP) – The Cavaliers will have star guard Kyrie Irving back in the lineup after he missed one game with a sore back, but the team does not yet know when newly acquired guards J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert will be available.
Irving said following Wednesday’s shootaround that his back feels better and he’ll play against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night. Irving sat out Monday’s loss in Philadelphia.
During that game, Cleveland traded guard Dion Waiters to Oklahoma City and acquired Smith and Shumpert from the New York Knicks in a three-team deal. Smith and Shumpert attended the shootaround, but the Cavs did not make them available to the media because the trade is not entirely official.
The Cavs, who have lost six of eight, remain without LeBron James, who has missed the team’s past five games with a knee and back strain.