Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson lauded his team’s resilience after a 117-115 defeat to the Boston Celtics on Sunday at Rocket Arena.
“Probably offensive rebounding and shot making. Those two things… they had 15 offensive rebounds, so that’s a lot. But I loved our fight coming back,” Atkinson said, highlighting his team’s competitive spirit despite trailing by 21 in the third quarter.
Atkinson noted the contributions of his key players, praising Evan Mobley’s efficiency. “He’s getting the ball in better spots… he’s finding that balance between bullying to the rim and kicking out for easy shots,” he said after Mobley scored 27 points with 14 rebounds.
Darius Garland’s late-game scoring also impressed Atkinson. “Towards the end of the game, speed was there… he was part of the group that led the comeback,” he said, referring to Garland’s 21 points and eight assists.
The Cavaliers aimed to create opportunities through paint touches and ball movement. “We were trying to get Evan a paint touch… our decision-making was good,” Atkinson explained, emphasizing process over urgency in crunch-time situations.
Atkinson recognized the defensive and offensive energy of his reserves. “Tyrese just changed the energy on both ends… offensively really good, hit that wing three,” he said, referring to Tyrese Proctor’s key fourth-quarter contributions.
The coach acknowledged the challenge posed by Boston’s Payton Pritchard. “He’s strong, got the mid-range, gets in the lane… and is a deep three-point shooter. He’s turned himself into a heck of a player,” Atkinson said.
Cleveland struggled with free-throw disparity and rebounding, which Atkinson cited as critical factors in the loss. “That’s where we kind of lost the game… free throws and rebounding,” he added, while stressing that the team will refocus for their next matchup.
Despite the setback, Atkinson expressed confidence in his roster. “The sky is not falling. We’ve got a lot of things going on… I trust this group,” he said, preparing for Monday’s game against the Indiana Pacers.
The Cavaliers fell to 12-9 while the Celtics improved to 11-9, with Boston led by Pritchard’s 42 points and Jaylen Brown’s fourth career triple-double.
