Cavs drop second summer league game 86-81 to Bulls

The Cavs’ second league game didn’t go quite as well as the first.

With Cedi Osman sitting out to rest after a busy summer and Billy Preston out due to a thigh contusion, Cleveland dropped its Saturday game against the Bulls 86-81 to fall to 1-1 in Las Vegas Summer League play. Ante Zizic led the Cavs with 25 points on 11-14 shooting and 11 rebounds. Top pick Collin Sexton added 14 points on 6-15 shooting and picked up his first two summer league assists.

Cleveland trailed for most of the game before a late comeback gave them a lead with 7:22 to play. Chicago, though, responded with a run of its own and pushed it lead back up near double-digits over the next few minutes.

Sexton had his best moments in this game when he was able to be aggressive and push the pace — something the Cavs want to this year. Most notably during a three-minute stretch in the third quarter, Sexton was aggressive both in transition and in half court in getting to the rim and drawing fouls. His first highlight-reel assist came in this stretch when he threw a lob to Okaro White on the break.

As for Zizic, he was the hub of the Cavs’ offense and put up good numbers despite strong defense from top Bulls pick Wendell Carter Jr. and several double teams. He also had a strong night on the offense glass, pulling down four offensive rebounds in his 25 minutes. Defensively, though, he had struggled at times to move laterally and was picked on by quicker players.

The Cavs next play on Monday against the Pacers at 5 p.m. It is not known at this time if Osman and/or Preston will be available to play.