Cavaliers fall to Bulls 118-117 in preseason opener

The Cleveland Cavaliers opened their preseason on Tuesday in Cleveland with a 118-117 loss to the Chicago Bulls, a tight exhibition that offered an early look at new personnel and lingering questions for both teams ahead of the regular season. The game at Rocket Arena tipped off at 7 p.m. Eastern and was available via streaming.

Cleveland arrived in the preseason off a 64-18 regular season that produced the franchise's best record in the Eastern Conference and earned coach Kenny Atkinson NBA Coach of the Year honors. The Cavs largely retained the core of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen while adding depth over the summer, most notably acquiring guard Lonzo Ball from Chicago and signing veteran forwards Thomas Bryant and Larry Nance Jr. The club also re-signed Sam Merrill to a multiyear deal. Isaac Okoro was part of the trade to Chicago, and Ty Jerome departed in free agency.

Ball is entering Cleveland with a cautious usage plan. "My role is pretty much the same wherever I go: play defense, push the break, hit open shots and don't turn the ball over," he said, and the Cavaliers have said they will manage his minutes early in the season because of...