NBA: Cavaliers’ Mozgov to miss about 2 weeks with sore shoulder

Milwaukee Bucks’ Greg Monroe, left, and Cleveland Cavaliers’ Timofey Mozgov (20), from Russia, battle for the ball in the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015, in Cleveland. The Cavaliers won 115-100. AP Photo

CLEVELAND, United States—Cleveland Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov will miss the next 10 days to two weeks of the NBA season with a strained right shoulder, the team announced on Friday.

An MRI exam Friday showed the 29-year-old Russian 7-footer (2.16m) strained his deltoid muscle during the second quarter of Thursday’s 115-100 home victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Mozgov will miss a minimum of five games for the defending Eastern Conference champions starting with Saturday’s game against Atlanta. He will also miss contests against Orlando, Toronto, Charlotte and Brooklyn.

The soonest he would return is for a December 1 game against Washington. But if the timetable is correct, Mozgov would be back by a December 4 home game against New Orleans and in time for Cleveland’s December 5 visit to Miami, where star LeBron James will lead his teammates against the club he helped win two NBA titles before returning to Cleveland ahead of last season.

Mozgov is averaging 7.9 points and 4.6 rebounds a game for the Cavaliers, who own the best record in the East at 9-3.

The Cavaliers will also be without starting point guard Mo Williams for Saturday’s game against Atlanta due to soreness in his right ankle. Williams is listed as doubtful for Monday’s matchup with Orlando.

RELATED STORIES

NBA: Cavaliers seeking Russian big man Mozgov—reports

NBA: Perkins signs as backup big man with Cavaliers