Top overall draft pick Kyrie Irving struggled in his regular season NBA debut for the Cleveland Cavaliers as Cleveland lost 104-96 to the Toronto Raptors at home on Monday night.
Irving, the former Duke point guard and top draft pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, started but made just 2-12 shots from the field and finished with 6 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists in 26 minutes in his first game. Meanwhile, backup point guard Ramon Sessions delivered a strong performance for the Cavaliers with 18 points including 2-4 on three-pointers in 21 minutes off the bench.
In a matchup between teams that finished last (Cleveland) and second-to-last (Toronto) in the Eastern Conference, the Raptors took control in a 29-19 second quarter after the game was tied after one quarter. Cleveland led 23-21 with 22 seconds to go in the first quarter but did not lead again.
Toronto had three players off its bench score in double figures: Leandro Barbosa (14), Ed Davis (14) and Jerryd Bayless (10).
Cleveland, 0-1, takes to the road for a pair of intra-division games against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday and against the Indiana Pacers on Friday.