Cleveland Cavaliers Edge Chicago Bulls 117-111

The Cleveland Cavaliers at home pull off the win against the Chicago Bulls 117-111. The Cavaliers improve to 2-2, and the Bulls fall to 1-4 on the season. Tristan Thompson led all scorers with 23 points on 11 of 19 from the field, grabbed 10 rebounds, and blocked five shots. Tristan is off to a great start so far this season. Kevin Love posted a double-double with 17 points on 6 of 10 from the field, plucked 20 rebounds, and dished out six assists. Collin Sexton put in 18 points on 7 of 12 from the field.

Cedi Osman finished with 12 points on 4 of 6 from the floor, including four rebounds, three assists, and hit four three-pointers. Jordan Clarkson added 17 points on 4 of 6 from the field, and handed out four assists off the bench. Larry Nance Jr. contributed 12 points on 3 of 9 from the floor, and picked up five rebounds off the pine. Kevin Porter Jr. tossed in nine points on 2 of 4 from the field, and gathered four rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench.

The Cavaliers shot 52.6 percent from the field, and shot a solid 41.7 percent on 10 of 24 from three-point range. The Cavaliers turned the ball over 17 times, but they shot very well from the field. The Cavaliers out-rebounded the Bulls 47 to 32. The Cavaliers out-scored the Bulls in the paint 58 to 46.

Kevin Love said, “We’re just feeding off each other, we talk every day that we need to set the tone for the rest of the team.”

For the Bulls, Zach Lavine totaled 16 points on 6 of 14 from the floor, and drained four three-pointers. Lauri Markkanen put up 16 points on just 4 of 12 from the field, and pulled down eight rebounds. Otto Porter Jr. concluded with 15 points on 5 of 10 from the floor, and snatched five rebounds. Tomas Satoransky generated eight points on 2 of 5 from the field, and gave out eight assists. Wendell Carter Jr. registered 15 points on 5 of 8 from the floor, to go along with eight rebounds, and two blocks.

Thaddeus Young managed 14 points on 6 of 14 from the field, and nabbed five rebounds off the bench in 23 minutes. Kris Dunn dropped in eight points on 4 of 7 from the field, handed out four assists, and stripped away two steals off the pine. Luke Kornet amassed nine points on 4 of 6 from the floor, and blocked two shots off the bench. The Bulls shot 43.3 percent from the field, and shot 35.9 percent on 14 of 39 from three-point range. The Bulls did not get enough stops on defense to win all though they didn’t shoot the ball that well.

Cleveland Cavaliers Top Indiana Pacers 110-99

The Cleveland Cavaliers at home obliterated the Indiana Pacers 110-99. The Cavaliers improve to 1-1, and the Pacers fall to 0-2 on the season. Tristan Thompson recorded a double-double with 25 points on 11 of 16 from the field, grabbed 13 rebounds, and blocked three shots. Kevin Love posted a double-double with 21 points on 5 of 8 from the field, including 13 rebounds, nine assists, two steals, and hit three triples. Collin Sexton scored 18 points on 6 of 14 from the field, and snatched five rebounds.

Rookie Darius Garland pitched in 12 points on 5 of 12 from the floor, and dished out four assists. Jordan Clarkson added 15 points on 5 of 8 from the field, and stripped away two steals off the bench. Larry Nance Jr. logged nine points on 4 of 7 from the floor, and picked up four rebounds off the pine. The Cavaliers shot 50 percent from the field, and shot 35.5 percent on 11 of 31 from three-point range.

The Cavaliers turned the ball over 18 times, but they shot the ball at a pretty high percentage. They also played well on the defensive end. The Cavaliers win their 1st game of the season.

Cavaliers head coach John Beilein who won his 1st game as an NBA coach said, “I’m very fortunate to have a lot of game balls, but this one is going to be pretty special. It’s an NBA ball No. 1, but anytime you change jobs like this it’s a very difficult time on your family, on you and everyone — it’s such a transition. It will be special.”

For the Pacers, Malcolm Brogdon chipped in a double-double with 30 points on 12 of 18 from the field, dished out 10 assists, and buried four three-pointers. Myles Turner racked up 11 points on 3 of 9 from the floor, and gathered 11 rebounds. Domantas Sabonis contributed 14 points on 6 of 13 from the floor, pulled down five rebounds, and accumulated two steals. T.J. Warren poured in 12 points on 6 of 15 from the field. Edmond Sumner managed 10 points on 4 of 5 from the field in 17 minutes.

Justin Holiday notched 10 points on 4 of 10 from the floor, to go along with five rebounds, and two steals off the bench. The Pacers shot 44.8 percent from the field, and shot 35.7 percent on 10 of 28 behind the three-point line. Meanwhile, Victor Oladipo did not play for the Pacers while recovering from a knee injury. The Pacers did not play well enough on both ends of the floor to win.