Final Score: Cavs fall to Hawks 109-93 in preseason opener

The Cleveland Cavaliers are 0-1 in the preseason, but there were some encouraging signs.

With LeBron James sitting out Wednesday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks, the Cavs used a starting lineup of Derrick Rose, J.R. Smith, Dwyane Wade, Jae Crowder and Kevin Love. While the group was out there, they created open threes and pushed the pace more so then the Cavs have in the past. Love lead the way with 12 points and Wade added seven points and four assists. Love, in particular, stood out. He operated out of the elbow in a way that hasn’t been seen much since he was acquired by the Cavs.

All five players, though, sat out the second half and the Hawks ran away with the game after Cleveland lead for the entire first half. Ultimately, the Cavs fell 109-93. Kay Felder lead the Cavs with 13 points. Dennis Schroder lead all scorers with 18 points.

The most troubling moment of the night for the Cavs came when Iman Shumpert hurt his left foot going for a dunk. He walked off the floor, but did not return. The team will have undergo imaging in the morning before determining how serious the injury is.

Cleveland next plays on Friday against the Indiana Pacers. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m.