Cleveland led wire to wire and survived two separate Orlando scoring runs before pulling away for good. James Harden looked fully healthy in his preseason debut, and three bench scorers in double figures did the rest.
How close did Orlando actually get?
Cleveland led by as many as 18 and never trailed, but Orlando twice cut into it. The Magic scored 14 straight in the third quarter to shrink a 14-point Cleveland lead to two, and Cleveland answered right back with a 10-0 run that pushed it to 16. The Magic trimmed the 18-point cushion once more with an 8-0 run early in the fourth, but it never got closer than two the rest of the way.
Did Harden look right in his return?
Harden was cleared from his ankle issue the same day and started. He answered with 24 points on 7-for-10 shooting, including 3-for-5 from three and 7-for-9 at the line, in 26 minutes, finishing a plus-5. No sign of rust, no minutes restriction worth noting, just his best scoring night of the preseason.
Who was the best bench player Cleveland had?
Mario Hezonja had the best plus-minus on either team, a plus-15 in 17 minutes, scoring 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting with two 3-pointers, two steals and two blocks. Jaylon Tyson matched him with 13 points on 4-for-8 shooting, and Thomas Bryant added 12 on 5-for-6 in just seven minutes. All three outperformed anyone in Cleveland's starting five not named Harden.
Why was Peyton Watson a zero for the night?
Watson finished even, a 0 plus-minus in 22 minutes, with no points showing up in Cleveland's box score at all. He played the second-most minutes of anyone not named Harden, Mobley, Mitchell or Allen, and had nothing to show for it offensively. Evan Mobley had a quieter shooting night too, going just 3-for-10 from the field before his 8-for-9 night at the line pushed him to 14 points.
What does this mean before the rematch?
Cleveland gets two days off before a rematch at Orlando on October 13, the back half of a two-game series. Khalifa Diop and Nae'Qwan Tomlin are both targeting that date to return from their current injuries. Preseason results don't carry into the standings, but a healthy Harden and a deeper bench rotation are both answers worth carrying into it.
Is James Harden healthy for the start of the regular season?
He played 26 minutes against Orlando on October 11 after being cleared from his ankle issue that same day, scoring 24 points. Nothing in his line suggested a lingering problem.
When do the Cavaliers play the Magic again?
October 13, on the road, closing out the two-game preseason series against Orlando.
