The Cleveland Cavaliers fell 119-112 to the Chicago Bulls. It was another thriller that came down to the wire, with Cleveland missing a potential game-tying shot with under 20 seconds to play. This marks
the second straight preseason loss to Chicago.
Evan Mobley was impressive again. He remained aggressive in hunting for his own shot, methodically working his way into the paint and leaving defenders helpless by falling away for a handful of fading jumpers. Mobley’s confidence in these shots has been growing. That could mean trouble for the rest of the NBA. He finished tonight with 21 points on 6-10 shooting.
The Cavs’ offense is already full of weapons. Especially when they are at full strength. But being able to give the ball to their seven-footer and allow him to dictate a possession is something they haven’t always felt comfortable doing. The more offensive responsibilities that Mobley can handle, the more difficult it will be to defend this team.
De’Andre Hunter is another player who can bear more offensive responsibility. Hunter was prominently featured in Cleveland’s offense last season. But he’s now had a full offseason with the team — and will be playing a new role in the starting lineup. Being next to Cleveland’s other starters has allowed Hunter to focus solely on his strengths. We’ve seen positive results from this as he’s been on a heater to start the preseason.
Hunter shot 7-9 from the floor in his first preseason game. Tonight, he continued to bury shots by scoring 20 points in 24 minutes (4-of-5 three-point shooting). Hunter will be key to the Cavaliers recouping some of the offensive juice they’ll be missing with Darius Garland on the sideline to start the season.
The rest of the game was a mixed bag. We saw flashes of playmaking brilliance from Lonzo Ball (like the pass below), but Donovan Mitchell was the only other prominent Cavalier who felt like a consistent positive on offense. He finished with a game-high 22 points.
Jarrett Allen shot 1-of-6, though he did collect 4 blocks in the opening quarter. Jaylon Tyson, Craig Porter Jr., Larry Nance Jr. and Nae’Qwan Tomlin combined to shoot 4-for-24.
Rookie Tyrese Proctor continued to look supremely confident. He began his minutes by converting a four-point play and then proceeded to take 7 field goal attempts in just 10 minutes. He finished by shooting 2-7 from the floor.
Nonetheless, the Cavs fall to 0-2 in the preseason. The results of these games aren’t indicative of much. Cleveland went 0-4 last preseason before starting the real season 15-0.
