J.R. Smith suspended for Cavaliers vs. 76ers

The Cleveland Cavaliers will be without guard J.R. Smith against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have announced that guard J.R. Smith has been suspended for one game for “detrimental conduct.” The team has not disclosed what exactly Smith did to warrant the suspension. He will miss Thursday night’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com, Cavaliers’ coach Tyronn Lue said “something happened after the shootaround” that prompted Smith’s suspension.

The Cavaliers released this report on Twitter:

Lue said Smith will be able to practice on Friday and return to the starting lineup on Saturday against the Denver Nuggets.

The 32-year-old guard has started 56 games for the Cavaliers and is currently averaging 8.3 points and three rebounds per game this season while shooting 36.3 percent from the three-point line. Smith has been the team’s starting shooting guard since Dwyane Wade started coming off the bench before being traded back to his original team, the Miami Heat.

Filling in for Smith against the 76ers will be newly acquired shooting guard Rodney Hood. Hood was traded to Cleveland from the Utah Jazz back in February. Since joining the Cavs, he’s shot 45.4 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from beyond the arc.

Down by one point, Hood hit a clutch three-pointer for the Cavs with less than a minute to go in the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets. He could have a larger role with the Cavs as the season progresses.

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The Cavaliers, at 36-24, have had an inconsistent season, though they still hold the top spot in the Central Division. They’re currently third behind the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference.