The Cleveland Cavaliers notched a 118-106 home win against the Milwaukee Bucks, as Donovan Mitchell had a big performance. The six-time NBA All-Star contributed 37 points, five rebounds, seven assists, and four three-pointers on 14-for-22 shooting from the field in 36 minutes of action.
The game was closer than expected from Cleveland’s perspective, as Giannis Antetokounmpo left the game in the second period due to a groin injury. Nonetheless, head coach Kenny Atkinson will gladly take the victory, although he admitted they should’ve done better.
“That game is not going to go in the Hall of Fame for the Cavs. It’s a slog — for whatever reason,” Atkinson said via Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “I’m glad we pulled it out. It’s not smooth sailing right now. We’re still a little bit clunky, on both sides of the ball.”
“I think our talent level is such that we can still eek out wins like this, but we all know collectively, we gotta do better,” he continued. “We’ll look at it, we’ll analyze it. My job is to help them help smooth this thing out. Again, I don’t want to seem doomsday here. You get a win in the NBA, it’s tough. But we know we can play better.”
Cleveland Cavaliers News: Kenny Atkinson lauds backup PG’s growth and recent form
Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson has been giving Craig Porter Jr. more playing time in the wake of Darius Garland’s injury, and the 25-year-old guard has repaid his coach’s trust.
Against the Milwaukee Bucks yesterday, Porter had 11 points and two steals on 5-for-6 shooting from the field in 21 minutes, including his steal and poster jam sequence in the third period.
“He’s got so much pop out there. The basketball player was already good, but he made a commitment to getting in elite shape… I’m so happy for the kid, he made a lot of sacrifices this offseason. Good to see it’s paying off,” Atkinson said of Porter via Sam Amico of Hoops Wire.
