Cavaliers’ standout feeling the love
Raptors get past Pistons in OT
DENVER — Kevin Love has received more than 4,000 messages since opening up about his struggles with mental health issues.
“Overwhelming is a good word to use,” the Cleveland Cavaliers forward said Wednesday after the morning shootaround before a game against the Nuggets. “I’m trying to read through all the emails and all the texts and respond to everybody in the right way.”
Love considered it therapeutic to write his essay for The Player’s Tribune in which he addressed such things as his panic attack during a game this season and how he’s spent most of his life afraid to accept there was something wrong with him.
Although, it was daunting to release his story to the world.
“It did take me a while (to write). I didn’t know if I was going to address it potentially in the summer, but I’m glad I did it now,” said Love, a five-time All-Star who’s currently sidelined by a broken hand. “Everybody is going through something. Everybody has things that you can’t see, you can’t touch, that they’re walking with every day. … We need to beat down that stigma about mental health and be able to come out and talk things out.”
Love thanked Toronto All-Star DeMar DeRozan for recently acknowledging his bouts of depression.
“I want to continue to push that message,” Love said.
Wednesday night
RAPTORS 121, PISTONS
119 (OT): In Detroit, DeMar DeRozan scored 42 points, then fed Fred VanVleet for the tie-breaking jumper from the left corner with 1.1 seconds remaining in overtime to lift Toronto to a victory over Detroit.
The Raptors became the first NBA team to clinch a playoff berth this season. Toronto trailed by 17 in the second quarter but was able to outlast Blake Griffin and the Pistons in a back-andforth thriller. ROCKETS 110, BUCKS
99: In Milwaukee, James Harden scored 26 point, and Eric Gordon had 18 points and two momentumswinging 3-pointers in the third quarter as Houston beat Milwaukee for its 17th straight win.
Houston hasn’t lost since Jan. 26 at New Orleans. PELICANS 114, KINGS
101: In Sacramento, Calif., Anthony Davis scored 17 points before rolling his left ankle and leaving in the third quarter as New Orleans beat Sacramento to match a franchise record
with its 10th straight win. LAKERS 108, MAGIC
107: In Los Angeles, Brook Lopez hit two free throws with 0.6 seconds remaining as Los Angeles beat Orlando.
The Lakers had blown a nine-point lead in the final 2 minutes before rallying.
JAZZ 104, PACERS 84: In Indianapolis, 7-foot-1 center Rudy Gobert had teamhighs of 23 points and 14 rebounds to lead Utah past Indiana. BULLS 119, GRIZZLIES 110 : In Chicago, Lauri Markkanen scored 22 points, Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn added 21 apiece as Chicago hung on to hand Memphis its 15th straight loss. CAVALIERS 113, NUGGETS 108: In Denver, LeBron James scored 39 points and had 10 assists as Cleveland beat Denver.
He also had eight rebounds to miss out on the triple-double.