Cavs’ starters to play in preseason opener, Lonzo Ball on minutes plan

The Cavaliers open preseason play Tuesday night against the Bulls, and while coach Kenny Atkinson says the starters will play, don’t expect heavy minutes.

It’s still preseason — and as last year proved, it doesn’t mean much. Cleveland went 0-4 in the exhibition slate, then ripped off 15 straight wins to open the regular season, finishing with an East-best 64-18 record.

Tipoff is 7 p.m. EST at Rocket Arena (FanDuel Sports Network will broadcast).

The spotlight will be on Lonzo Ball, acquired from Chicago in the Isaac Okoro trade earlier this summer. Ball said back-to-backs are “off the table” to start the year, and he expects to be capped at around 20 minutes per game early on as he ramps back up.

Atkinson, entering his second season as head coach, will get his first look at the retooled starting group against Ball’s former team. But, again, it’s the preseason. The real tests come later.

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