The Cleveland Cavaliers made sure that most of their star players saw action in their first preseason game Wednesday. However, none of them was on the floor for 20 minutes in their 109 to 93 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Kevin Love led the way for the Cavs' stars as he scored 12 points, while also tallying five rebounds, three assists, and a steal.
Cleveland's new backcourt players, Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose, contributed seven points each. LeBron James missed action for the Cavaliers. The franchise superstar hurt his ankle during the team's practice last Wednesday.
Since then, he has been on the sidelines for the Cavs. At the moment, it is unknown when James can return to action. Though according to head coach Tyronn Lue, the 32-year-old will play in the preseason.
Second-year point guard Kay Felder top-scored versus the Hawks. He came off the bench for the Cavaliers and dropped 13 points. The 22-year-old recorded one assist and two steals as well.
The Cavaliers will complete a two-game homestand on Friday when they host the Indiana Pacers for their second preseason outing. After this, they are leaving Cleveland to take on the Washington Wizards on October 8.
New faces, bad performances
Cleveland welcomed several new players in this year's offseason. Unfortunately, the majority of them did not impress against the Hawks.
Jae Crowder only had eight points and one rebound for the Cavaliers. Veterans Kendrick Perkins and Jose Calderon also provided forgettable performances. Perkins had a single point in five minutes, while Calderon went scoreless. Prospects Ante Zizic and Cedi Osman failed to have significant impacts too as they finished with four and six points respectively.
Perhaps the newcomer who had the best debut for the Cavaliers is Jeff Green. The seasoned big man filled the stat for Cleveland with six points, two rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block.
Hawks' big three
Three players stood out for Atlanta in its victory over Cleveland. These were Dennis Schroder, Taurean Prince, and Dewayne Dedmon.
Schroder, the Hawks' new star playmaker, exploded for 18 points. Meanwhile, Prince came close to a double-double with 15 points and eight boards.
One of the Hawks' offseason acquisitions, Dedmon, added 13 points, four rebounds, two assists, and one block. Atlanta's next game will take the team to Motor City as they face the Detroit Pistons on October 6.
