The NBA preseason is always pretty tough to get a reading on. Some teams use the games to gauge where they are at before regular season play. Other teams use the games to get their young players ready for the bright lights. This season head coach JB Bickerstaff and the Cavs are in the former group, as four of the five starters played 25-plus minutes in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ second preseason game.
It was the second matchup with the 76ers in under a week, and the result was the same as the first game, a loss. The Cavaliers got off to a slow start and were trying to mount a comeback the entire game. Philadelphia guard Tyrese Maxey started 3-3 from deep, leading the 76ers to a 13-point lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the 76ers on Monday night in their second preseason game. Who stood out as good and bad from the Cavs’ loss last night?
From there the Cavs played from behind, eventually falling 113-97. Center Jarrett Allen paced the Cavs, finishing with 19 points and 12 rebounds, while shooting 7-for-15 from the field. Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell combined to score 28 points, as they looked to be getting more familiar with each other by the end of the game.
We saw some good and some bad on Monday night, so let’s get into who impressed us and who left us wanting a bit more by the end of the game.