TRENDING Fantasy Basketball Sign Up College football live updates A.J. Brown coming off IR ALCS Game 4 postponed Defense will win WNBA Finals Story by Story by Evan Mobley impresses in Cavs annual Wine & Gold scrimmage CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 11: Evan Mobley #4 of the Cleveland Cavaliers is introduced before the game against the Orlando Magic during a 2026 NBA Preseason game on October 11, 2026 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images Jackson Flickinger Sat, October 17, 2026 at 7:45 PM UTC · 6 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers held their annual Wine & Gold scrimmage in front of season ticket holders at Public Auditorium on Saturday morning.
Head coach Kenny Atkinson has mentioned throughout preseason that he was treating this event as the fourth exhibition game, and he was true to his word. The Cavs split into two teams, played a 36-minute game, and had regular NBA refs.
So while this wasn't an official preseason game, it was their final dress rehearsal before the season tips off on Thursday.
The starters for each team are below. It's worth pointing out that Sam Merrill, Nae'Qwan Tomlin, and Khalifa Diop did not participate.
Gold dominated this game from start to finish, winning 96-82. They jumped out to an early lead thanks to strong showings from Harden and Mobley. Wine couldn't contain the Harden and Mobley pick-and-roll, which led to easy paint touches for Mobley and his teammates.
Wine's perimeter defense struggled throughout. And while Mitchell did his part offensively, it wasn't enough to make the game competitive down the stretch.
"I felt like they were giving up layup after layup after layup and then paint points and it's like, at a certain point, you gotta him them and make them aware that's not acceptable," Atkinson said afterward.
There were no official stats, but the consensus was that Mobley was the leading scorer. He hit a few threes, attacked the basket continually, and overall had a strong all-around game.
Atkinson singled out Harden and Mitchell for having good games, but he was quick to point out that Mitchell was part of Wine's defense, which was a problem. Tyson also got a mention from Atkinson afterwards for his offensive production.
The game wasn't the only noteworthy thing that took place at Public Auditorium on Saturday. At halftime, several fans and some members of the Cavs participated in a half-court conference. Porter and Allen missed their attempts, but Atkinson nailed a half-court shot as the final contestant.
After the game, rookies Thomas and Ernest Udeh Jr. were forced to sing karaoke.
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You don't want to take too much from a scrimmage that some guys wore sweatpants in, but there were a few observations worth pointing out.
First, this was the best Mobley has played this preseason . Offensively, he effectively attacked off the dribble by pushing the ball off live rebounds and operating at the top of the arc in isolation. This was on top of doing a good job defensively of keeping Wine from getting to the rim.
Most importantly, Mobley looked comfortable paired with Harden .
"I like it," Mobley said when asked about playing alongside Harden more. "I think we're trying to build a lot of two-man games and more camaraderie. I like the play that we had, and I think the more that we play together, we're just going to have more and more chemistry."
Mobley's two-man game with Harden was impressive . Mobley did a good job making contact on the screen and rolling hard in the pick-and-roll. Both of which are necessary to create space when paired with Harden. The duo also ran a few inverted pick-and-rolls with Harden as the screener that produced good results.
"James has been great in pick-and-rolls and setting up big men for a long time," Mobley said.
"I love what I'm seeing from Evan and James," Atkinson echoed. "[They're] really starting to get on the same page. I think that's part of Evan being in the paint more. James missed him a few times at the rim today, but the intent is there."
Atkinson has hinted throughout preseason that he'll start the season pairing Harden and Mobley together. Figuring out the right other three guys to play around them is important as well to that group's success .
"Because Evan can stretch [the floor] a little bit, you don't have to be as intentional about the shooting piece," Atkinson said when asked what is needed from the other three players in those lineups. "I think you can throw any three guys out there."
While any three guys might work, Watson is a seamless fit alongside Harden and Mobley . There were several times the defense was able to cut off the pick-and-roll, which forced the ball out to Watson on either the weak-side wing or corner. That set him up for a few catch-and-shoot threes that he knocked down. More importantly, Watson also showed that he can put the ball on the ground and create his own shot. That last part has the potential to be extremely helpful against opponents that sell out to stop the Harden and Mobley pick-and-roll.
Thomas seems much more comfortable creating offense off-ball . The rookie got to his spots on the court when he wasn't playing alongside Mitchell, but he struggled to have that same impact when he was featured more off-ball.
The Cavs are still trying to figure out what lineups Thomas can be most effective in.
"He's really good on the ball," Atkinson said. "We're just trying to find that right balance."
Atkinson thinks that Thomas could be a good pairing alongside Mitchell. He wants to see Thomas play more of the role Dennis Schroder did alongside Mitchell last season. In those lineups, Mitchell was able to shift off-ball.
Grouping Mitchell and Thomas together might also work due to how they've connected off the court .
"Donovan has taken a special liking to Maleek," Atkinson said. "He almost feels like 'I have to build that relationship, build that trust, and then coach them up.' I always say, player development coaches get way too much credit. It's having really good, smart vets that elevate guys. We do our little part, and I think we put them in the right places, but it's really the coaching from your best players that elevates younger players."
Source: Sports
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