CLEVELAND, Ohio - With most of their usual starters in street clothes on Monday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers beat Maccabi Ra’anana of the Israeli National League, 120-89, in a preseason matchup at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
With Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen all out for the game, the Cavs opened with a starting lineup of Ty Jerome, Caris LeVert, Isaac Okoro, Dean Wade, and Damian Jones.
The latter five started the game with some turnover issues (seven in the opening quarter) but soon worked well to finish the first half with nine 3-point shots, en route to a 17-trey team performance. Four of the starters scored in double figures, with Ty Jerome leading with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting.
“We got out of it exactly what we wanted,” coach JB Bickerstaff stated in the postgame press conference. “An opportunity to go out and compete, for one, and play Cavalier basketball, which I think we did.”
Caris Levert and Dean Wade each scored 13 points for the Cavs, while Damien Jones scored 11.
“The floor feels so much bigger,” said Wade, who scored all of his points in the 3rd quarter. “I feel like we have to cover so much more space than in previous years. The roster we have this year has just opened up so much space on the court.”
Leading the way for Cleveland, however, was rookie Emoni Bates, who scored a game-high 16 points off the bench. Bates, the 49th overall selection in the previous NBA Draft, went 6-of-12 from the field, including a 4-of-9 from beyond the arc.
“We are extremely fortunate that Emoni was there [49]. I believe that Emoni is fortunate to be here, also, because I think the pairing works. I think, or his development and advancement, over the course of his career, being here works. But, I also believe if Emoni would have gone in the lottery, he’d have been the type of player in the Rookie of the Year conversation. But, we are extremely fortunate that he is here with us, and look forward to working with him for a long time.”
Other standout performances included Isaiah Mobley, who scored 10 points and grabbed six rebounds in 16 minutes of play, while Craig Porter Jr. - on a two-way contract with the G-League Cleveland Charge - managed 12 points while tying Jerome for a team-high six assists.
Former Cavalier Mamadi Diakite led Ra’Anana with 17 points off the bench.
The Cavs (1-2) will close out the preseason on Friday at Indiana (7 p.m. tip-off) before starting the regular season in Brooklyn on Oct. 25.
