How the Cavaliers are seeking revenge in Thursday night's preseason rematch with Bulls

The Cleveland Cavaliers take to the floor for their second preseason game against the Chicago Bulls in the midst of a slump at the moment.

Sure, the alarm bells are not ringing for now, as the Cavs enter the halfway mark of their exhibition games, but with the season opener looming on October 22 against the New York Knicks, it’s something that head coach Kenny Atkinson will be looking to address.

If you count the end of last season - when they lost to the Indiana Pacers in the Playoffs - Cleveland is now in the midst of a three-game skid, with their opening defeat to Chicago a heartbreaker.

Thomas Bryant was denied by Dalen Terry in the dying seconds, securing a 118-117 win for the Bulls, ending the Cavs’ four-game winning streak over their Windy City rivals.

And with the starters limited to playing around 18 minutes, coach Atkinson is still assessing what works best for his side ahead of the trip to Madison Square Garden.

Limiting transition baskets will be a bonus, but more so, Atkinson will be looking for more productivity from the players who could be fighting for more minutes when the regular season commences.

Atkinson saw hunger in his role players and bench guys. And if they perform how they did in game one against the Bulls, the fresh outlook could see the Cavs recover from their mini-slump.

For instance, De’Andre Hunter had 17 points on a solid 7-for-9 shooting against Chicago, matched by third-year guard Craig Porter Jr, but it was Tyreese Proctor, who proved to be a talking point, going for 14 points in just 12 minutes off the bench. 

Atkinson will want to see more of them as preseason continues. But the starters will no doubt get their limited minutes in tonight, as they continue to stretch their legs before the opener. 

Former Cavs guard Issac Okoro put up 11 points on 3-for-7 shooting in 18 minutes for the Bulls. Chicago traded for Okoro in the offseason, giving up Lonzo Ball.

The Cavs fans though, will hope that the team can execute down the stretch and recover from their mini-slump. 

The last road game of the preseason schedule is set for Sunday evening in Boston, before they end their exhibition schedule against the Pistons on Tuesday. 

The regular season begins with two road games against the Knicks and Brooklyn Nets before the home opener against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, October 26.