NBA fans have commented on Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Tristan Thompson‘s notable lack of playing time in today’s playoffs loss to the Indiana Pacers, speculating that his omission may have something to do with the scandal engulfing his personal life.

Read: fans reckon backlash to the allegation Thompson cheated on partner Khloé Kardashian, while she was pregnant with their first child, may have kept him off the court.

Thompson was given exactly 1 minute and 59 seconds of playing time at the very tail end of the Cavs’ 80-98 loss, down from an average of around 14 minutes of court-time earned in the previous ten games, and way, way down from the average of 31 minutes per game he notched during 2017’s post-season.

The 27-year-old was greeted with a chorus of boos during the previous game, a 98-110 loss to the New York Knicks. His first appearance on the court that game also went unannounced over the PA, apparently to mitigate any further booing.

Commenting on Thompson’s lack of minutes today, Inside The NBA pundit Kenny Smith said “they gotta play Tristan Thompson. I don’t care about his love life, this dude gotta play, man.

“He’s been playing in the rotation for two years to get into the NBA finals, and he plays a minute and fifty nine seconds. To me, that doesn’t make any sense either.” 

Fans have a somewhat more conspiratorial take on the matter. Instead of believing coach Ty Lue made the call for gameplay reasons – or even to cut back on distractions to the other players – some have joked the Kardashian crew had something to do with his lack of gametime.

The Cavaliers will face the Pacers again on Thursday Australian time. No word on whether Thompson will catch more game time next time around.

READ MORE Khloé Kardashian Has Reportedly Forgiven Tristan Thompson & Oh, Honey
READ MORE Here's What We Know So Far About Khloe Kardashian's "Very Cute" Baby
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