Even though they were without LeBron James for the second straight game, the Cleveland Cavaliers were hoping to get their first preseason win on Friday night against the Pacers. James did not play due to his minor ankle injury, but even so, the Cavaliers were favorites to win this one at their, fully packed, Quicken Loans Arena. The Pacers, on the other hand, wanted to improve their preseason winning streak to two games after beating the Bucks earlier this week.

Cavaliers lose again without LeBron

The Cavs opened up the game strong, scoring 33 points in the first quarter.

They held a convincing 33-21 lead after the first 12 minutes of the game and midway through the second quarter had a 15-point lead (48-33). At halftime, the score was 59-48 in favor of the home squad. After three periods of playing time, the Cavaliers were in front by eight points (86-78) but in the fourth quarter, they couldn't score. The Pacers held them to just 16 points in the fourth quarter, and Indiana ended up winning the game surprisingly 106-102.

Indiana had five different players in double-digit scoring against the Cavaliers. T.J. Leaf led them with 18 points and six rebounds off the bench, while Domantas Sabonis scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Victor Oladipo contributed with 14 points and five assists for the Pacers.

Dwyane Wade led the home team in scoring on Friday night with 20 points on 10-of-14 shooting, and also added five rebounds. Jae Crowder added 17 points and six rebounds for the Cavaliers, while Derrick Rose finished with 15 points and three assists.

Justin Holiday leads Bulls past the Bucks

The Chicago Bulls suffered a tough defeat against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night, and on Friday night they wanted to bounce back with a victory.

They hosted the Milwaukee Bucks at their United Center in Chicago in front of a sellout crowd. The Bucks started off strong and led 27-24 after the first quarter. The Bulls answered with a 36-point second quarter as they regained the lead and held a 60-56 lead at halftime. Heading into the final period of the game, Chicago was in front by 12 points (89-77).

They ended up winning the game comfortably 114-101, as they outrebounded the Bucks 42-36 in this one.

Justin Holiday led Chicago with 21 points, four rebounds and three assists in 28 minutes of action. He had major help in Nikola Mirotic, who scored 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Bobby Portis added 15 points and 10 rebounds off the bench for the Bulls.

Giannis Antetokounmpo was the leading scorer for Milwaukee in this one, as he scored 24 points and added four rebounds as well. Khris Middleton added 14 points and five assists for the Bucks.
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