Preseason Live Thread: 76ers @ Cavs

Hello again CtB!

After an extended break in which the Cavs are the only NBA team to play just one preseason game thus far, the good guys welcome the Philadelphia 76ers to the shores of Lake Erie for a prime time, nationally televised preseason showcase on NBATV. In their first matchup of the preseason, the Cavs lost by the narrowest of margins 113-112. In that game, the Cavs’ starters looked amazing especially offensively.

Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, and Caris LeVert showed that they can fit perfectly together and slice up a playoff caliber defense with ease. The Cavs will have to improve defensively despite the absence of one of their defensive hubs, Evan Mobley. In the battle for the starting small forward spot, it appears LeVert has a stronghold on the race, with Dean Wade serving as the closest competition thus far… maybe one could include Isaac “Ice” Okoro if they were feeling charitable. A couple of other names to watch are Sharife Cooper and Mamadi Diakite to see if they can capitalize on their good performances a few nights ago.

#Cavs Evan Mobley making progress in his recovery from a sprained ankle, going thru a light individual shootaround following today's team shootaround. pic.twitter.com/QvI6KkpKpX

— Chris Fedor (@ChrisFedor) October 10, 2022

There’s workout footage of Evan Mobley rehabbing his sprained ankle, but there’s no reason to expect him to play given the meaningless stakes. Based on nothing but intuition, it’s hard to expect Dylan Windler to be on the court either… which is not a good thing for him given how he’s fighting for a crumb of relevance as a Cav and NBA player. Here’s to hoping Windler gets it together.

Tip off is scheduled for 7:00PM Eastern Time and will be broadcasted live by Bally Sports Ohio and NBATV. Go Cavs!