The Cleveland Cavaliers played a preseason exhibition game against RaAnana Maccabi. While the Cavaliers took care of business with a 89-120 victory, there’s a lot to unpack now that it’s over. Here’s a look back at the biggest takeaways from the game.
RaAnana Maccabi is a professional team that plays in the Israeli National League. They’ve played NBA teams before, including the Los Angeles Clippers, the Portland Trail Blazers, the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Brooklyn Nets. They even have some former NBA players, including former Cavalier Mamadi Diakite.
Despite the fact that Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus and Evan Mobley (and Jarrett Allen due to injury) sat this game, and that Cleveland was playing an overseas team, this Cavs squad looked good. To start the game Damian Jones scored three points off an and-one, then came up with a big block on the other end of the floor. He finished with 11 points and four rebounds.
After the quick start, Cleveland continued the fast pace of play they’ve shown all preseason. While the passing wasn’t quite as frenetic as their last outing, it was still a big factor. They finished with 30 assists. They also continued to push the pace of play by running in transition, and used this to prevent transition as well. On most shots taken (particularly from beyond the arc) at least one Cav could be seen creeping back towards half court in case RaAnana broke down court.
Although the defense wasn’t quite as polished as it is with the starters on the floor, they did play well overall. They managed to hold RaAnana to 89 points, and a difficult 89 at that. They finished with a 37.4 field goal percentage, making 37 of their 99 shots taken. They also couldn’t get it going from deep, only hitting eight of their 29 threes attempted. The Cavs, on the other hand, produced a solid performance consisting of a 50.6 field goal percentage and a 42.5 three point percentage.
Emoni Bates finished with the most points at 16. He continues to shoot well under pressure, almost seeming to phase out closing-in defenders entirely on some shots. Isaiah Mobley also played well, finishing with 10 points, six rebounds and an assist. He’s playing much more maturely in the post, taking his time and baiting defenders and turning it over less.
Craig Porter Jr bounced back with a 12-point, two-rebound and six-assist game in which he showed the explosiveness he played with all summer. He’s also looking like a much better passer, with six smart dimes to set his teammates up. Other notable players included Dean Wade, Ty Jerome and Caris LeVert, who all scored in the double digits.
Cleveland plays their next and final preseason game against the Indians Pacers on October 20 at 7:00 PM in Indiana.
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Featured photo courtesy of NBA.com
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