LeBron enjoys easy night in Cleveland; Toronto tops Cavs in preseason opener

There is concern over the wear and tear on Cleveland’s LeBron James.

CLEVELAND (AP) — LeBron James spent a rare night relaxing on the bench, Mo Williams showed why Cleveland traded for him this summer, and the Cavaliers opened their exhibition season with a 104-84 loss to the Toronto Raptors Tuesday night.

James played just eight minutes in the first quarter before he raised his hand for a substitute and coach Mike Brown pulled him for the remainder of Cleveland’s preseason debut.

James, who won an Olympic gold medal this summer at the Beijing Games, missed his only three shots from the field, made one free throw and added two rebounds and two assists.

The wear and tear on James is a major concern for the Cavaliers. He has had little time away from the floor since last season ended because of his commitment to USA Basketball. Brown intends to reduce James’ playing time — the 23-year-old has been among the league leaders in minutes played throughout his career — with the idea of keeping him as fresh as possible for the grinding 82-game schedule and playoffs.

Toronto’s Jermaine O’Neal, acquired from Indiana in a July trade, scored 11 points in his Raptors debut. O’Neal missed 40 games last season because of lingering knee problems and dropped weight over the summer to ease the pressure on his joints.

Will Solomon scored 17 points, Andrea Bargnani 15 and Kris Humphries 14 for the Raptors, who didn’t attempt a 3-pointer in the first half but dropped six from long range after halftime.

Toronto’s reserves outplayed Cleveland’s during the second half, when the Raptors outscored the Cavs 57-37.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 16 points and Williams, acquired in an August trade from Milwaukee, added 12 points, four assists and three rebounds in 26 minutes. The Cavs have craved a point guard for years and feel Williams can fill that void while giving James someone to share the scoring load.