Cavs Drop Preseason Opener to 76ers 113-112

The Cavaliers opened their preseason on the road against the 76ers Wednesday night. Fans got the see

the debut of Donovan Mitchell and the new look Cavaliers take the court for the first time together.

Back and Forth

Cleveland got busy early and held the lead through the majority of three quarters. Philadelphia’s Tyrese

Maxey, who led the way with 21 points on the night, wouldn’t allow his team to go quietly and pulled

the 76ers back into it to enter the fourth tied up at 90 points apiece. A little back and forth between the

teams saw a handful of lead changes until Philly was able to regain the lead thanks to a Montrezl Harrell

driving layup with 26 seconds left in the game. The 76ers were able to hold on for the victory and move

to 2-0 in the preseason while handing the Cavs their first loss.

Donovan Mitchell

Donovan Mitchell finished with an impressive stat line for the night. The All-Star shooting guard finished

with 16 PTS on 6-9 FG, 3-4 3PT with 2 rebounds and 5 assists in 19 minutes. Mitchell knocked down a

three as his first points as a Cav that got the offense moving early in the first quarter. During halftime,

when asked about how he was feeling in his first game as a Cavalier, Donovan responded that he had “a

little bit of nerves….to start.” If that’s how he plays when he is a little nervous, then Cavs fans are in for a

fun ride this season. It was obvious from the first half that Mitchell is already getting comfortable with

his new team and will have no problem feeling at home here in Cleveland.

Darius Garland

No new news here but Darius Garland is special. The star PG picked up where he left off last season and

finished the night with 12 points, 4 assists, 4-7 from the field, and hit his lone three pointer while suiting

up for 15 minutes. Him and Mitchell were solid together from the beginning and it should only get

better from here as they two continue to share the floor together.

Notable stats

Kevin Love – 9 PTS, 7 REB, 3-6 FG, 3-6 3PT, 16 MIN

Jarrett Allen – 5 PTS, 1 AST, 2 REB, 2-7 FG, 16 MIN

Caris LeVert – 7 PTS, 3 AST, 1 REB, 3-5 FG, 1-2 3PT, 14 MIN

The Cavs will continue preseason action when they welcome the 76ers to Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Monday night at 7 PM.