James Harden played his first preseason game as a Cavalier on Sunday and scored 24 points in 26 minutes as Cleveland beat Orlando 119-105 at Rocket Arena.
The line: 7-of-10 from the field, 3-of-5 from three, 7-of-9 from the line, four rebounds, two assists and a steal. He had sat Thursday’s 124-113 loss to Boston with an ankle issue, so this was his first action of the preseason.
Age 37 and Still Getting to the Line Nine Times
Harden enters his age-37 season on a three-year, $97 million deal he signed to stay in Cleveland. Last season he averaged 23.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 8.0 assists in 34.8 minutes over 70 games split between the Cavaliers and Clippers.
Nine free throw attempts in 26 minutes of a preseason game is the detail worth noting. The jumper comes and goes at this stage of a career. Drawing fouls is a skill that tends to survive, and Harden still has it.
The Supporting Cast Looked Organized
Evan Mobley had 14 points and seven rebounds, going 8-of-9 from the line. Donovan Mitchell added 11 points, six assists and five rebounds in 26 minutes. Jarrett Allen finished with seven points and seven boards.
Off the bench, Mario Hezonja put up 13 points, five rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Jaylon Tyson had 13 and Thomas Bryant scored 12 in only seven minutes.
Cleveland shot 45.3 percent overall and 15-of-37 from three, which is 40.5 percent. For a team whose ceiling depends on spacing around Mobley, that is the number that matters more than anything in the box score.
Orlando’s Stars Did Not Shoot Well
Paolo Banchero went 1-of-10 from the field for 10 points and seven rebounds. Franz Wagner also had 10. Tristan da Silva led the Magic with 17 on 4-of-11 from deep, and Jase Richardson chipped in 12 points and four assists.
Both teams are now 1-1 in the preseason. This was Cleveland’s first win of it.
The Roster Is Deeper Than Last Year
Cleveland also added Peyton Watson from Denver in a five-team sign-and-trade this offseason, which gives the Cavaliers another long defender to put next to Mobley and Allen.
That has always been the question with this group. The top end is settled, with Mitchell and Mobley and now a healthy Harden running the offense in stretches. What Cleveland lacked in previous Aprils was the eighth and ninth guy who could be trusted to play.
One preseason game proves nothing about April. It did show a 37-year-old guard shooting 70 percent and a bench that outscored expectations, and Cleveland will take both in October.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.