The Cavaliers remain unbeaten after a bold move from Kenny Atkinson and an outstanding game from Evan Mobley.
The second night of a back-to-back is tough no matter who you’re playing. Especially after an emotional victory the night before as was the case for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Beating the Golden State Warriors like they did was important for the team and Kenny Atkinson who spent the previous three seasons as an assistant under Steve Kerr. The Cavs were able to rally for a 105-100 win over the Brooklyn Nets, but it wasn’t pretty.
The Cavs came out strong thanks to Donovan Mitchell’s 15 first-quarter points. That allowed them to end the opening frame with a six-point lead, but that advantage shrunk to two by the end of the half.
Atkinson spoke pregame about the importance of coming out of the break better. His team didn’t seem to receive that message.
“I think that’s our next hurdle,” Atkinson said about their poor third quarters. “This team has struggled in the third quarter. It seems to me that the great teams. We got to do a better job of coming out of the locker room.”
The Nets scored the first 15 points of the second half. It took Cleveland nearly five minutes to get their first basket of the third quarter. They were outscored 27-13 in that frame as they went to the fourth down 82-70.
The Cavs fought back. They cut the deficit to two with under five minutes left, but a lineup with Evan Mobley at the five and Caris LeVert at the four with three guards couldn’t secure defensive rebounds resulting in a quick 5-0 run to give the Nets a seven-point advantage. Conventional wisdom would say that Atkinson should go back to a more traditional look, but he stuck to his guns and it paid off.
The offense got them back into it. The spaced-out floor allowed their guards to attack. And attack they did. Darius Garland and Ty Jerome paraded to the rim creating great looks for themselves and others.
However, it was the small-ball Cavs’ defense that won the game. They surrendered just four points over the last four and a half minutes which allowed Cleveland to come away with the win.
Kenny Atkinson has his finger on the pulse of this team. He wasn’t afraid to go away from Jarrett Allen, Dean Wade, and Isaac Okoro when they didn’t have it. Closing with a unit featuring four guards was risky, but it worked. Mobley’s block on the Nets’ final possession was an appropriate ending for this evening. He was the only reason why that small-ball unit worked.
Mobley had another impressive showing. The new coaching staff seems to have empowered him to expand his game on both sides of the court. Tonight was a further exploration of his skills as he was active as a ball handler who aggressively punished switches and was a forceful rebounder. He finished with 23 points, 16 rebounds, and an assist.
This is the version of Mobley the Cavs have needed. The small-ball gamble doesn’t work if it’s not for him.
This win improves the Cavs to 11-0, the best start in franchise history.