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Cavs reserves rally over the Pacers in preseason finale

By Justin Taguibao

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - OCTOBER 15: Kevin Love #0 of the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on October 15, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - OCTOBER 15: Kevin Love #0 of the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on October 15, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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Cavs reserves get heavy minutes in preseason finale against the Pacers

The Cleveland Cavaliers ended their preseason campaign on a high note with a 110-94 victory over the Indiana Pacers. Even with reserves getting most of the minutes, the Cavs cruised to the win after erecting an early lead.

Just as in their first preseason meeting, the coaching staff experimented with lineup combinations but with even fewer minutes for the projected rotation guys. By the end, the Cavs have fielded a total of 17 players into the match.

With the exception of rookie Evan Mobley, who played 14 minutes, none of the starters were on the floor for more than eight minutes as the backups and potential two-way players received the bulk of playing time.

Former starters Kevin Love and Cedi Osman, as well as Dean Wade, led the scoring for Cleveland as they put together 36 points while shooting a combined 62 percent from the field. Training camp signee Mitch Ballock is the only other Cav to finish in double-figures with 12.

Cavs end the preseason with a 2-3 record

Offseason arrivals Denzel Valentine and Tacko Fall finally got a good burn but played on the opposite ends of the spectrum. While the 7-foot-6 Fall had a pretty decent showing with the opportunity he was given, Valentine had a one-point stinker despite being primarily known as a scorer.

On a positive note, the worst three-point shooting team in the league bounced back from another pretty ugly shooting effort against Chicago to make 40.6 percent of their shot from deep against the Pacers, led by the aforementioned trio of Osman, Love, and Wade (8-for-14 combined).

Apart from those, there really isn’t much to pick up from an inconsequential preseason game where neither team put in any real effort.

The Cavaliers will make a few more tunings as they are set to open their regular season campaign on the road as they visit the Memphis Grizzlies on October 21. Cleveland will also need to make a decision on Collin Sexton’s contract extension prior to that date.

Next. Ranking the Cleveland Cavaliers young core by potential. dark

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