NBA preseason: Cavaliers backups provide first win of preseason, but Israeli team's thoughts on war in homeland

CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers asked for a moment of silence before their game Monday against Maccabi Ra'anana for the lives lost in Israel's war against Hamas. Basketball was almost an afterthought on this night, especially for the Maccabi players and coaches, who are concerned about friends and family members at home. Coach Yehu Orland said he broke down crying during a recent game in Brooklyn because his "heart is broken." He said he lost a good friend in the war. Despite the political implications, the preseason game still had to go on. The Cavs (1-2) rested their starters against Maccabi, yet still won handily, 120-89, to win their first game of the preseason. Cavs starters Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Max Strus were in street clothes for the game. They'll likely get plenty of playing time in the preseason finale at Indiana on Friday. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff said he expects the starters to play about three quarters against the Pacers. Moving into the starting lineup against Maccabi was Ty Jerome, Isaac Okoro, Caris LeVert, Dean Wade and Damian Jones. They could very well represent the Cavs' second unit during the regular season. Jerome, a free-agent signee in the offseason, was solid running the point. He'll be counted on to play behind Garland, at least until Ricky Rubio returns to the team. Jerome had 15 points, four rebounds and six assists in 21 minutes. He worked well with LeVert in the backcourt with the duo combining for 11 assists. "Both can share and create," Bickerstaff said. "Ty is trying to get everyone involved." LeVert, held out of the previous game due to a sore left foot, filled the stat sheet, as usual, with 13 points, six rebounds and two steals. Second-round pick Emoni Bates continued his strong showing in the preseason with a team-high 16 points. He was 4-of-9 from the 3-point line. Wade, rebounding from an injury-filled season, contributed 13 points and a game-high eight rebounds. "My job is to play defense as hard as I can," he said. "We have more of an emphasis on good spacing. If I'm open, I'll shoot it." Jones, who is vying for the role of backup center, had 11 points, four rebounds and a game-high three blocks. Rookie Craig Porter Jr. added 12 points and six assists. "I try to stay at my own pace," he said. Maccabi forward Mamadi Diakite scored a game-high 17 points. Getting ready Bickerstaff said the plan was to use the preseason as a "four-game ramp-up" to the regular season. "For us as coaches, we'll take all the practice time we can get," Bickerstaff said. "We love to practice." He's been pushing the players hard in practice, trying to get them in the best shape possible. "We're in really good shape," the coach said. "We're putting our guys' legs through distress." There are two back-to-back sets in the first two weeks of the season. Okoro is one player who's in tip-top shape. "Isaac is elite at running the floor," Bickerstaff said. Pushing pace Bickerstaff said he wants the Cavs to push the ball up the court and get into their offense as quickly as possible. Old buddies Diakite, who played for the Cavs last year, was a college teammate of Jerome at the University of Virginia. The Cavaliers won the NCAA championship in 2019. Bob Finnan can be reached at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X. Cavaliers 120, Maccabi Ra'anana 89 MACCABI RA'ANANA (89): Mor 2-6 0-0 5, Bacon 6-14 1-1 14, Caboclo 2-8 2-2 6, Weathers 6-12 1-4 14, Tucker 4-11 0-0 9, Ducree 4-8 1-2 9, Atias 0-0 0-0 0, Siggers 4-11 0-0 9, Diakite 5-8 5-5 17, Hai 0-2 0-0 0, Ruiz 0-3 0-0 0, Missia-Dio 0-2 0-0 0, Hagans 3-6 0-0 6, Berman 0-1 0-0 0, Alber 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 36-95 10-14 89. CLEVELAND (120): Okoro 3-4 0-0 7, Wade 4-5 2-2 13, Jones 2-2 7-7 11, Jerome 6-9 2-2 15, LeVert 4-9 2-2 13, Bates 6-12 0-0 16, I.Mobley 5-10 0-0 10, Nance 0-1 2-2 2, Niang 2-6 0-0 6, Thompson 1-3 2-4 4, Cooper 2-4 1-1 5, Merrill 1-5 0-0 3, Porter 4-7 3-3 12, Powell 1-2 0-0 3, Smith 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 41-81 21-23 120. Maccabi &emsp; &emsp;19 &emsp;&emsp;23 &emsp;&emsp;27 &emsp;&emsp;20 &emsp;&emsp;— &emsp;&emsp;89Cleveland &emsp;&emsp;31 &emsp;&emsp;34 &emsp;&emsp;31 &emsp;&emsp;24 &emsp;&emsp;— &emsp;&emsp;120 3-Point Goals: Maccabi Ra'anana—7-27 (Diakite 2-3, Weathers 1-2, Mor 1-3, Bacon 1-3, Siggers 1-3, Tucker 1-5, Ducree 0-1, Missia-Dio 0-1, Alber 0-2, Caboclo 0-2, Hai 0-2), Cleveland—17-40 (Bates 4-9, Wade 3-4, LeVert 3-6, Niang 2-5, Okoro 1-1, Porter 1-1, Powell 1-2, Jerome 1-3, Merrill 1-5, I.Mobley 0-1, Smith 0-1, Cooper 0-2). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Maccabi Ra'anana 35 (Caboclo 9), Cleveland 55 (Wade 8). Assists—Maccabi Ra'anana 18 (Hagans 6), Cleveland 30 (Jerome, Porter 6). Total Fouls—Maccabi Ra'anana 19, Cleveland 18. A—13,377 (19,432).