Irving struggles as Raptors rip Cavs 104-96
CLEVELAND (AP) — Rookie Kyrie Irving scored six points and hardly played like the No. 1 overall pick as the Toronto Raptors spoiled the Cleveland guard’s NBA debut with a 104-96 season-opening win over the Cavaliers on Monday night.
Irving, who played just 11 games at Duke before turning pro, finished just 2 of 11 from the field — he made a meaningless 3-pointer in the final minutes — with seven assists and one turnover in 26 minutes. The Cavs are counting on the 19-year-old to turn around a team that won just 19 games last season.
Toronto, which went only 22-60 last season, won its first game under coach Dwane Casey, who was an assistant last season for the champion Dallas Mavericks.