Kenny Atkinson identified rebounding as Cleveland’s biggest problem after the Cavaliers lost 109-97 to the New York Knicks on Saturday, allowing 49 rebounds.
“Rebounding. You know, I think we’re minus 10 in a possession game. You can’t give them 10 more shots than us,” Atkinson said after the defeat. “They’re too good to give those extra possessions. That’s their strength. They’re one of the top possession teams in the league. We didn’t handle it well tonight.”
The Knicks outrebounded Cleveland 49-40 and collected 16 offensive rebounds, compared with 10 for the Cavaliers. Karl-Anthony Towns grabbed 13 rebounds, while Andre Drummond added eight off Cleveland’s bench.
Atkinson also praised Donovan Mitchell for keeping the Cavaliers competitive. Mitchell scored 21 of his season-high 37 points in the fourth quarter, but Cleveland could not complete its comeback after falling behind by 18.
“It’s really impressive physically just to be able to go on a back-to-back, to go at it like that,” Atkinson said of Mitchell. “I thought it was both ends. I thought he was competing at a high level on the defensive end, too.”
“He kept at it, didn’t quit, kept after it. Impressive second-half performance from him,” the coach added.
Jalen Brunson scored 18 consecutive points in the second quarter, helping New York turn a 39-37 deficit into a 52-45 lead. He finished with 31 points and nine assists, while Towns contributed 29 points.
Atkinson credited the Knicks with finding answers against different defensive approaches. New York entered the game as the defending NBA champion after sweeping Cleveland in last season’s Eastern Conference finals.
“They really have solutions,” Atkinson said. “Their continuity, right? Maybe you got those four guys that played in college together, right? Three. And they have just great chemistry.”
“They’re on a string on both ends. Whatever you throw at them, they find a solution,” he continued. “And then the rebounding thing really gives them a… I don’t know, the last three, four games we played against them, you go toe-to-toe and they end up beating you on the boards.”
The Cavaliers cut the deficit to single digits late but could not get closer. Atkinson said missed opportunities prevented them from completing the comeback.
“We couldn’t get over the hump. We never made that real kind of statement,” he said. “Didn’t help the shots weren’t falling. We had some good looks. You need a couple threes to go in, and it just didn’t fall, and now you’re running back on defense again.”
Atkinson also described the early-season schedule as a major challenge, with Cleveland facing several strong opponents. The Cavaliers fell to 5-5 after the loss and now have three consecutive road games ahead.
“It’s going to be a dog fight, a bloodbath to get into those top six,” he said. “There’s so much talent up and down.”
The coach added that Cleveland must keep improving its habits and processes rather than expect an easier stretch.
