Kenny Atkinson said he will ramp up the Cleveland Cavaliers starters in the final preseason game, a sign that Sunday’s meeting with the Orlando Magic is being treated as the last real tune-up before the games start to count. The Cavaliers have only three preseason games, so the matchup gives them one final chance to stretch out the rotation before the regular season begins on Oct. 22.
That is why people are looking at Orlando now. The Magic have been showing more ball movement in preseason play in Memphis and Cleveland, with Sean Sweeney leaning on the extra pass on the perimeter to create easier 3-point looks. Tristan da Silva, Noah Penda and Jase Richardson have all stood out in that new-look offense, and Jalen Suggs is back after missing Orlando’s first couple games with an illness.
Sunday also carried a different kind of weight because it was the first time Atkinson used the starting lineup he had been pointing toward, and the Cavaliers looked very impressive against Orlando. The group that included James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Peyton Watson, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Al showed versatility, newfound athleticism and shot-making, while Watson and Mario Hezonja offered Cleveland fans a glimpse of new skills they could bring to the forward room.
The wrinkle is that Orlando may still play its regulars again on Sunday even though it already has one more exhibition contest against Miami on Friday. That leaves Atkinson’s plan clear enough on one side and still a little fuzzy on the other: Cleveland will push its starters harder in the finale, but Orlando’s minutes picture is less settled, even with a final preseason game still to come.
For both teams, the next benchmark is simple. Cleveland gets one last read on its regular-season groups, and Orlando has to decide how much it wants to lean on its main pieces before Friday and the start of the season schedule that follows.
