Irving leads Cavs; top pick Bennett has asthma issues

Associated Press

CLEVELAND

Kyrie Irving scored 12 of his 15 points in the third quarter to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 96-84 win over the Detroit Pistons in a preseason game Thursday night.

Irving made a 3-pointer at the horn to end the first half and then turned his game up in the third. His assist to Earl Clark for a dunk gave the Cavs, who were missing starting guard Dion Waiters and several others, a 66-60 lead.

Cavs rookie Sergey Karasev hit two jumpers in the fourth and fed Jermaine Taylor for a dunk to give Cleveland a 91-79 lead. Karasev started for Waiters, out with a bruised hip. Taylor scored 10 in the final period.

Greg Monroe scored 16 and Josh Smith added 12 for the Pistons.

Cavs rookie Anthony Bennett, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, had 12 points. Before the game, coach Mike Brown disclosed Bennett has asthma and sleep apnea.

His medical condition was not widely known and obviously did not prevent the Cavs from taking the former UNLV star in June’s draft.

Bennett has had some breathing issues during workouts and in preseason games, and him being sometimes winded had been attributed to him not being able to work out as much this summer after undergoing shoulder surgery in May. But Brown said Bennett also deals with asthma and wears a mask at night for his sleep apnea.

The 6-foot-8, 259-pound Bennett averaged 10 points and 6.3 rebounds in his first three NBA preseason games.

He’s coming off the bench for Brown, and made his first shot — a 3-pointer — against the Pistons and followed that up with a breakaway dunk.

Brown said Bennett’s breathing issues are noticeable.

“It’s been tiring to watch him because every time I watch him he’s (gasping),” Brown said. “It makes me tired, so I try not to look at him. I tell him, ‘If you need a sub, just tell me. Otherwise I’m not going to look at you.’”