Random dribbles following the Cavaliers’ 121-114 season-opening win over the visiting Hornets on Wednesday.
1. Hey, for starters, that went about as well as the Cavs could have hoped. They raced to a 65-44 lead at halftime and looked really good doing it. They then withstood a late run and career performance from Hornets guard and Shaker Heights product Terry Rozier.
2. At first, the game had the feel of a scrimmage, with no fans in Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and only fake noise piped in. (Actually, we’re sort of used to the latter.) But the Cavs quickly gave it a professional feel. Collin Sexton led the way in that department. He scored 18 points in the first half on 6-of-7 shooting, making all three of 3-pointers.
3. I don’t want to turn this into a post about stats — but there really is no getting around some of the numbers. They showed just how balanced the Cavs can be.
4. And what a night from Larry Nance Jr., who finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists while starting in place of the injured Kevin Love.
5. Yes, Nance passed for EIGHT assists from the power forward position. For a while, it was a two-man race between Nance and Wizards star point guard Russell Westbrook on who would compile the first triple-double of the season. Westbrook won, but that sure doesn’t diminish Nance’s night.
6. Sexton finished with 27 points and five assists. He got things started. Second-year point guard Darius Garland finished them with perhaps the best performance of his young career in the second half. Garland went for 22 points, six assists and an underrated six rebounds.
7. Want more balance? Andre Drummond scored 14 and grabbed 14 boards. Rookie Isaac Okoro started and scored 11 on 4-of-5 shooting. Cedi Osman came off the bench and also had 11.
8. And hey, how about newcomer JaVale McGee, ladies and gentlemen? The athletic veteran center hustled his way to 13 points and seven rebounds, and missed just one of his seven field-goal attempts.
9. Sexton to FOX Sports Ohio’s Angel Gray on the win: “I feel like we were just out there being accountable. … When we’re moving the ball, it’s fun to be out there. We have to continue to share the ball, do things like that.”
10. The lone downer of the night was Dylan Windler, who took a nasty spill after colliding with Hornets forward Gordon Hayward in the second half. Windler was fouled but did not shoot the free throws. He went to the locker room instead. The Cavs said he suffered a left wrist injury.
11. Windler missed all of his rookie season with a leg injury. This is just a run of some dumb luck for a usually durable guy. He never missed a game in four seasons at Belmont. He only missed two his entire high school career in Indiana. That was because of a sprained ankle.
12. On the bright side, X-rays on Windler’s wrist came back negative. Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said the team will know more Thursday morning.
13. Meanwhile, Rozier was amazing in the second half, when sizzled his way to 36 of his career-high 42 points. As Cavs radio analyst Jim Chones said, Rozier “is capable of that every night.” But for some reason, it only seems to happen against his hometown Cavs.
14. Let’s just say everyone in Cleveland is happy for Rozier’s individual success — as long as the Cavs win.
15. Bickerstaff said Love (calf) is day-to-day. The Cavs’ next game is Saturday at Detroit.
16. Hornets rookie LaMelo Ball went 0-of-5 shooting in 16 minutes. He was drafted third. Okoro was drafted fifth. For one night, Okoro and the Cavs won that battle of lottery picks.
17. Hayward finished with 28 for the Hornets. Between Hayward and Rozier, the Hornets should contend for a playoff spot. But there isn’t a whole lot else in Charlotte about which to get excited.
18. Finally, I heard from a lot of Cavs fans who expressed frustration over not being able to watch the game. I also have YouTube TV and wouldn’t have been able to watch the game from home.
19. From my understanding, HuluTV has also dropped FOX Sports Ohio and other regional networks. I suspect the sides will come to an agreement soon. Until then, the whole thing is just maddening. And pathetic. And other word you can use to describe corporate greed. Just know that the Cavs have nothing to do with it.
20. Anyway, that’s all for now. The Cavs are 1-0. Thanks for following along at FortyEightMinutes.com. We will be bombarding you with NBA content all season. Hopefully you think we are 1-0 as well.
