While Cory Joseph says he's still adapting to his new team, the Canadian has already impressed Toronto Raptors coach Dwane Casey.
The Toronto-born Joseph, acquired in the off-season as a replacement for backup point guard Greivis Vasquez, had 11 points to once again provide a big spark off the bench in the Raptors' 87-81 pre-season victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday.
"His motor is always going, always in high gear as soon as he steps on the floor, understands what he's doing, what needs to be done on both ends," Casey said. "Really really excited about what he brings to the table coming off the bench."
Jonas Valanciunas added 12 points for Toronto (4-2).
With one game to go in the pre-season, Casey continued to tinker with his lineup, giving Luis Scola his first start since the team signed the Argentine big man in the off-season.
Joseph and fellow newcomers Bismack Biyombo and Toronto-born Anthony Bennett all played significant minutes. Joseph was solid in shooting 4-for-9 from the field and doling out six assists.
"I'm getting to feel more comfortable with each game," Joseph said. "But I don't know how comfortable I'll feel until the real games start. Couple of those games and then we'll see."
The 24-year-old, who played four seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, said he's cherishing the chance to show a bit more of his game in Toronto.
"I feel like I'm a two-way player, I can create and I can be an offensive threat, that maybe some people haven't seen in the past," Joseph said. "I've been working on my game, and I'm ready for the responsibility."
DeMar DeRozan is a fan.
"Cory is a smart player, he knows what he can do and he takes advantage of his opportunities on both ends, and that's the great thing about him," DeRozan said.
It was a quiet night for DeRozan and fellow starter Kyle Lowry. DeRozan scored seven points, while Lowry had just six. They shot a combined 4-for-16 from the field.
Bennett finished with nine points, including a big putback lay-up with just over a minute to play. Biyombo, already among the most vocal Raptors, grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.
"He's always saying something, either yelling or talking, I think it's beneficial though," DeRozan said.
Asked what it's like to go up against the physical Biyombo in practice, DeRozan joked: "I'm not going in the paint when we go against him. I'm not messing around with Bismack."
Mo Williams scored 13 points to lead a Cavs team that was playing without LeBron James, and is still winless in six pre-season games. Matthew Dellavedova and Anderson Varejao added 12 apiece, and Timofey Mozgov grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.
Kevin Love played for the first time since injuring his shoulder in last season's playoffs and had six points in 13 minutes. The three-time all-star forward had surgery in May after dislocating his shoulder in the opening round against Boston when he got tangled up with Canadian Kelly Olynyk.
The Cavs rested both James and Richard Jefferson.
A night before the Toronto Blue Jays host the Kansas City Royals in Game 3 of their American League Championship Series, former Jays star Joe Carter sat courtside, and hurled autographed balls into the Air Canada Centre crowd during a timeout. A section of the ACC broke into a spontaneous "Let's go Blue Jays!" chant.
The Raptors led 28-24 to end the first quarter, and the Cavs took a 42-41 edge into the dressing room at halftime. Cleveland was up 64-60 with one quarter left to play.
The Raptors play the Washington Wizards on Friday in Montreal to cap their pre-season. They open the regular-season on Oct. 28 at the ACC against the Indiana Pacers, and play five of their first seven games on the road.
This content appears as provided to The Globe by the originating wire service. It has not been edited by Globe staff.