The King has returned.
LeBron James made his preseason debut Tuesday night after missing Cleveland’s first three games with a sprained left ankle. He scored 17 points, but also had eight turnovers in the 108-94 loss to the Chicago Bulls.
It was the first chance for James to play with close friend and former Miami Heat teammate Dwyane Wade as the Cavaliers showed off their new starting lineup. Cavs coach Tyronn Lue brought out his new starting group for the first time now that James is back. He was joined by Wade, Kevin Love and newcomers Derrick Rose and Jae Crowder. Lue announced the lineup, which includes three former MVPs on Monday.
Rose finished with 13 points and Iman Shumpert added 12.
The starting five was expectedly rusty with the group having spent little time together. Wade was just bought out by the Bulls on Sept. 24. Crowder and Isaiah Thomas went to Cleveland as part of the Kyrie Irving trade on Aug. 30. And Love was just recently informed that he’d be moving to center with the unit from power forward.
Love and Wade were a combined 2 for 19 Tuesday.
Rose will move to the bench once Thomas returns from a hip injury expected to keep him out for months. That second unit will then be a formidable group with a mixture of Rose, J.R. Smith, Tristan Thompson, Iman Shumpert, Kyle Korver and Jeff Green.
As the Cavs maneuver a veteran-laden roster, the young Bulls move on from the Jimmy Butler era. Justin Holiday scored a game-high 28 points and 2017 No. 7 overall pick Lauri Markkanen poured in 18. Denzel Valentine finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
UP NEXT: The Cavs (0-4) travel to face the Magic on Friday. The Bulls (3-2) host the Raptors on Friday.
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RAPTORS 116, PISTONS 94
The Raptors never trailed as newcomer CJ Miles scored 19 points off the bench, including a 5-for-8 effort from 3-point range.
Ish Smith led the Pistons with a game-high 22 points off the bench as the starting five struggled.
PISTONS: Langston Galloway scored 16 off the bench and Andre Drummond finished with 14 points and 11 points. Detroit’s starters shot just 13 for 39 (33.3 percent) from the floor.
RAPTORS: Jonas Valanciunas scored 18 and grabbed 11 rebounds in the victory. Serge Ibaka added 14 and DeMar DeRozan chipped in 13.
UP NEXT: The Pistons (2-2) travel to face the Bucks on Friday. The Raptors (2-2) travel to face the Bulls on Friday.
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PACERS 108, MACCABI HAIFA 89
Newly acquired Victor Oladipo did a little bit of everything for the Pacers as he scored 18, grabbed five rebounds, handed out four assists and had five steals.
Former Atlanta Hawk Josh Smith scored 16 and pulled down seven rebounds in the loss.
HAIFA: The NBA exhibition tour continued for Maccabi. Angel Rodriguez scored 15 and Oz Blayzer and Samardo Samuels added 14 apiece. Haifa actually outscored the Pacers 56-47 in the second and third quarters combined.
PACERS: Darren Collison scored 15 as Indiana navigates a world without Paul George. Bojan Bogdanovic scored 13 and Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis each scored 12 in the win.
UP NEXT: The Pacers (3-1) open the regular season by hosting the Nets on Oct. 18. Maccabi Haifa (0-2) travels to face the Trail Blazers on Friday.
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More NBA basketball: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball
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