Cleveland coach Mike Brown said Wallace had been cleared to play by the team's medical staff, but he wants to be cautious with his veteran forward.

"He wants to play and the training staff said he can play, but I decided he's not playing," Brown said.

Brown doesn't know when the 33-year-old Wallace will return. The fact Wallace tweaked the back after sitting out the previous two games is playing a big role in Brown's approach.

Wallace had six points, five rebounds and two blocks Saturday before being injured. He intentionally fouled Detroit's Richard Hamilton to stop the game early in the third quarter after appearing to hurt his back when Antonio McDyess blocked his shot. Wallace sat down, then was later helped to the locker room.

"It happened so fast," he said. "We got tangled up and I felt a little sting."

Wallace was acquired from Chicago on Feb. 21 in a three-team, 11-player trade. He is averaging 4.9 points and 7.9 rebounds in 15 games with Cleveland.

"I thought I had my lift back and my legs back under me," he said. "Right now it doesn't hurt very much. I don't think it will ever be 100 percent, but we'll try to get it under control before the playoffs."

Wallace's injury is just another in a long line of setbacks for the Cavaliers this season. Guard Daniel Gibson returned Saturday after missing 18 games with a sprained left ankle. Guard Delonte West sat out Saturday's game with a strained tendon in his left ankle, but started Sunday.

Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas missed seven games with an inflamed disk in his lower back earlier this month. Guard Sasha Pavlovic missed 23 games with a sprained left foot and forward-center Anderson Varejao, who started for Wallace on Sunday, missed 13 games with a sprained left ankle earlier this season.