Kenny Atkinson points out what he saw in the Cleveland Cavaliers' victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, 129-99.
Without Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and still Max Strus out, the Cleveland Cavaliers took down the Los Angeles Lakers with a convincing final score of 129-99, with the lead growing to 34 points at one point.
There was a lot more to this game than just the 48 minutes played on the floor, though.
Plenty of outside noise surrounded Rocket Area heading into the matchup, including LeBron James’ potential last game in Cleveland as he mulls retirement, the injuries facing the Cavaliers’ roster, and the rumors ahead of the upcoming trade deadline.
Still, the Wine and Gold put all of that behind them and produced a convincing victory.
Kenny Atkinson stopped short of calling this a “statement win” for his team, but still admitted it meant a lot.
“There are wins that feel better, that are more important,” explained Atkinson, implying that Cleveland’s win over Los Angeles was one of them. “And you think about our fans too. You’ve got LeBron here, and it's the Lakers, and all that. I think that's important.”
Credit to the Cavaliers for not letting the noise affect their play, and instead elevating their gameplan as the night progresses, that’s truly a sign of this team finding its stride.
In terms of the game itself, Cleveland created separation from the Lakers in the second half, outscoring its opponent 42-22 in the third quarter alone.
“It was that end of third quarter lineup that we had out there; they kind of broke the game open. It was all of our bench guys, pretty much,” Atkinson said.
During that stretch and throughout the night, the Cavaliers forced the Lakers to play their brand of basketball, not the other way around.
"I thought we imposed our will physically," said Cleveland's coach. "Kind of the 50-50 balls, the rebounds, we got to them first. And I think that was a big key, too."
Atkinson and the Cavlaiers are determined to use this convincing win as a springboard for their challenging upcoming road trip.
“I'd say the last thing, like going into this road trip, kind of like what we talked about, man, you don't want to go into this road, tough road trip with a with a loss. So this, hopefully, gives us bring some more confidence in our group, and gives us a little cushion.”
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