5 Cavaliers who dazzled vs the Magic (and one Squib)

The Cleveland Cavaliers are technically 0-2 in the preseason thus far, a fact that concerns absolutely no one in the Cavaliers’ organization. Sure it would be nice to come out and dominate all competition, but the preseason is about getting everyone into game shape, experimenting with lineups and gaining chemistry.

After losing a thriller on Tuesday night against the Atlanta Hawks, the Cavs were in another close game on Thursday, ultimately losing 108-105 when a furious last-minute rally fell one shot short. A number of players had impressive showings in the game. Let’s highlight five players who razzled and dazzled against the Magic, and then end with one who didn’t.

Darius Garland was on fire to start the game. He aggressively hunted his shot, but not by dominating the ball; instead, he sprinted off-ball to find open pockets on the 3-point line. Max Strus hit him early for a wide-open catch-and-shoot 3-pointer that he drained. From there he couldn’t miss, going 6-for-6 to start the game.

Garland cooled off from there, ending the first half 7-for-12 and not playing in the second half. That was still good enough for a game-high 19 points, including a trio of triples as part of a strong shooting night for Cleveland (17-for-44 on the night). He made a few slick passes as well, with Cleveland threading in some more pick-and-roll actions than in Tuesday’s game, which is Garland’s bread-and-butter.