Dribbles: Cavs get in a run, have a little fun in preseason opener

CLEVELAND — Random dribbles from the Cavaliers’ preseason opener, a 118-117 home loss to the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday.

1. When the Cavs starters took a 22-11 lead midway through the first quarter, I thought, “OK, good enough. We can take them out now.” Sure enough, Kenny Atkinson subbed in five new guys.

2. For the record, those starters were Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, De’Andre Hunter, Jarrett Allen and second-year man Jaylon Tyson. 

3. Hunter looked good in the starting lineup. Everyone else looked the same as last season (also pretty good). I was particularly impressed with Tyson’s defense. He recorded two big swats in the first six minutes.

4. As for reserves, man oh man, was Craig Porter Jr. fantastic. He buried his first five threes and went 6-of-9 from the field on his way to 17 points. Porter is going to be relied upon this season, particularly early, given the injury to Darius Garland (toe).

5. Hunter finished with 17 points and seven rebounds in 18 minutes. He missed two shots. Other than that, he was pretty flawless.

6. Mobley added 12 points and six boards, hitting two of his four 3-pointers. Keep firing them up, big fella.

7. It was strange seeing Isaac Okoro in the opposing layup line and playing at Rocket Arena in another uniform. He should help the Bulls (scoring 11 in this one). Before the game, Atkinson called Okoro one of his favorite players of all time.

8. Meanwhile, Lonzo Ball looked a little rusty. No surprise there. You could’ve said that about every player on both teams, actually. Without a doubt, Ball has brought a sense of professionalism and steadiness to the job.

9. The big takeaway? Well, there isn’t one. It’s out of the way and it served its purpose. Namely, to get in a practice run against somebody else.

10. Oh, you also have to like what you saw from rookie Tyrese Proctor (14 points, 5-of-6 from the field). Kid has a nice-looking shot. “He’s got moxie,” Atkinson said. “He’s got way more stuff off the dribble than I thought.”

11. Overall, Atkinson said he was pleased with the Cavs’ “active hands” defensively, something that’s been a focal point of camp. He also liked the Cavs’ pace for most of the night.

12. He added, though, that the Cavs could still use a little work in the conditioning and rebounding departments.

13. Sam Merrill missed the game with a sore abductor. He wanted to play, but Atkinson indicated there was no need to risk it. Hard to argue there.

14. The game didn’t end until newcomer Thomas Bryant drove the length of the floor and had a layup blocked by Bulls wing Dalen Terry. Oh well. Another practice game on Thursday against these same Bulls, but in Chicago.

• BOX SCORE | Bulls 118, Cavs 117
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