The Cleveland Cavaliers are yet to win a preseason game this year. They've made some big roster changes this offseason and the expectations are high for the Cavs. But judging by their offseason results, it seems they still have a lot of work to do. On Tuesday night they hosted the Chicago Bulls at their Quicken Loans Arena hoping to get their first preseason victory. After missing three games due to a minor ankle injury, LeBron James was finally back in the lineup as well for the Cavs.
Wire to wire win for the Bulls
The Bulls started this game with no fear whatsoever.
They opened up the game with a 24-point first quarter and led 24-20 after the first period. Cleveland regained the lead midway through the second quarter, but halftime the Bulls were in front 50-42. Chicago continued to play well in the third quarter as well, and heading into the fourth quarter they led 72-67. The Bulls went on to score 36 points in the fourth quarter and ended up winning the game convincingly 108-94. The Cavaliers were held to just 40.5 percent shooting from the field on Tuesday night.
Justin Holiday led the way for Chicago with 28 points and 11 rebounds. He had great help in Lauri Markkanen who finished the game with 18 points and five rebounds off the bench. Denzel Valentine contributed with 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists for the Bulls.
LeBron James was the leading scorer for the Cavaliers with 17 points. James also added five rebounds and three assists, while Derrick Rose added 13 points and five assists. Iman Shumpert scored 12 points off the Cavs bench.
Raptors with an easy win over Detroit
It was a sellout crowd at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on Tuesday night as the Toronto Raptors hosted the Detroit Pistons.
The Raptors jumped out to an early lead, outscoring the Pistons 30-23 in the first quarter. They went on to score 31 points in the second quarter and held a 61-51 lead at halftime. The Raptors increased their lead in the third quarter and ran away with this one as they held a 92-71 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The final score was 116-94 for the home squad, as they held the Pistons to 44.0 percent shooting from the field.
The Raptors had seven players in double-digit scoring on Tuesday night against the Pistons. C.J. Miles led the way with 19 points off the bench while Jonas Valanciunas finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Serge Ibaka contributed with 14 points and five rebounds for Toronto.
Ish Smith was the leading scorer for Detroit with 22 points. Smith also added eight assists. Langston Galloway finished the game with 18 points for the Pistons while Andre Drummond added 14 points and 11 rebounds.