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CLEVELAND
This might have been a fake game, but for center Nazr Mohammed, these were real minutes.
He made the most of them, too. Going 18 minutes as a starter, Mohammed produced 10 points and eight rebounds and hit five of seven shots during the Charlotte Bobcats' 92-87 exhibition loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night.
Exhibition or not, it was fun after spending the second half of last season on the shelf.
When you don't play, anything you get you're happy for, said Mohammed. I was pretty humbled by last year, so preseason minutes mean a little more to me than it would for most 12-year veterans.
While this was a loss, it certainly was an improvement on the Bobcats' last preseason opener, when they fell behind the Orlando Magic 40-9. Still, it very much had the feel of a scrimmage during the second half, with both teams dipping deeply into their benches.
Some highlights and lowlights:
Free agent Stevie Graham looked very productive during just less than 14 minutes, scoring nine points withthree shots from the field. He's rugged, and that was good for four trips to the foul line.
Second-round pick Derrick Brown (10 points) was slightly more productive than fellow rookie Gerald Henderson, a lottery pick, but both had their moments.
Henderson had nine points, three rebounds and two assists, but as expected his shooting was shaky. He was 3-for-10 from the field and 2-for-6 from the foul line.
Gerald Wallace had a miserable night, playing just 10 minutes, missing all five shots from the field and finishing with two points. Wallace was expending most of his energy on defense, trying to contain LeBron James, who scored 15 points in almost 15 minutes.
Vlade Radmanovic's stats might not have been glowing (five points, three rebounds and two steals), but he filled in well as the starting power forward, particularly on defense, drawing a charge from Shaquille O'Neal duringthe first two minutes.
Alexis Ajinca had a rough start, fouling within seconds of entering the game, but he played more like a 7-footer, grabbing seven rebounds and blocking a shot. He made three of six shots and hadnine points.
