Cavs vs Raptors | Kenny Atkinson | 11.13.2025

Cavs vs Raptors | Kenny Atkinson | 11.13.2025

Here we go. Kenny, what are your overall takeaways from this one? We didn’t have it. I, you know, you know, we didn’t have it. They were they were great. I think they they kind of flew by us uh quicker to every loose ball. They were racing by us in in in um in transition, beat us to every rebound. I mean, I’m exaggerating, of course, but it was like their energy level was here and we were down here and and um you know, my my only um you know, I wish we’re um we’re a little me mentally stronger. You know, sometimes you got to you know, you got to fight through the schedule, fatigue, all that. We’re all, you know, but we we you know, but the positives, I love Naqucoin, like we’re, you know, he’s just another guy that that that we’re discovering. I mean, he uh he he’s really good. I thought CP was really good again. Um you know, obviously our main guys, they they just didn’t have the juice tonight. Um just what it is happens in this league. Um the good thing is we got a day off tomorrow, recover, got a nice stretch at home. We’ll uh we’ll get back on track. What do you think that you guys need to do better in order to dictate the style that the game is played in? Uh well, you know, we have to be um you know, physically better. You know, I I just felt like they dominated us physically, you know, when when you’re kind of slower transitioning back, um slower to the rebounds, um you know, loose balls. It’s just it’s just kind of all those things. They’re just quicker um quicker than us tonight, faster than us tonight. Um I I just say give them credit. I don’t I don’t sure give them credit for their style of play, but um I I think this was um we just did not have the juice tonight, Dan. And I I know that’s a simplistic answer. Um I wish I could put it another way. It’s just just kind of what I what I saw. Couldn’t get We’re stuck in mud. you, Kenn, we’ve talked a lot this season about the defense being one of your guys’ strength points, but your guys’ rotations looked slow tonight, but they also didn’t feel like they had guys getting behind the last line of defense, getting easy layups. How do you prevent that? And and what were you seeing that allowed that to happen? I mean, like I said, I felt like they ran by us often. Um, and what you know, was with the ball, you know, getting getting by us, right? Transition, you got to stop the ball. That’s like important. Um and then they got ahead of us a bunch of times right at the rim. So um we just we just got to be better. Um they were it’s their their strength, right? That’s that’s kind of what they do and they um they kind of dominated in in that sense. They they played to their identity and we couldn’t couldn’t match it. Couldn’t slow them down. So, is there a way to minimize like ball washing? Because when it comes to like off ball movement for them, they were attacking at anywhere that they could, but guys were getting stuck. Yeah, I felt like we were we got cut. They were cutting us, right? A bunch of times they cut us. You know, sometimes that’s that’s focus, right? And um like I said, it’s all connected. It’s all connected um to your energy and and tonight I’ I’d say the first first night all year we just did not have whatever that it is it it wasn’t there and that that’s not an excuse it it it is what it is. Um you know like I said the good thing positive got a day off tomorrow I think we obviously need it and then we we um you know we recover and and we got a good stretch at home and we’ll we’ll get back on track. Nice pass. You just brought up how much faster they were than you guys tonight. How much of that was Jamal Shed? I feel like the last game that you guys played against them too, he was just someone that just brought in a lot of energy form off. We changed our strategy, too, right? We didn’t pick him up as high. Don’t, you know, like we we we dropped dropped on him and and tried to pick him up lower, you know, just to keep him in front of us, but man, he he he’s um he’s a ball of energy. Um, and but but I I you know, like I said, I felt like their whole team um was was um just sharper. Um I thought their bigs were really good. Um Barnes obviously played really well. Um quickly quickly heard us with his speed. Um like I said, we we we um couldn’t keep up um tonight. And I know this is a little bit more of a broad um look at the season, but I think going into Wednesday, you guys were minus 46 in the second quarter. What does that signify that that you guys get off the hot starts and then just it’s a great find. Our our bench is, you know, we got to we got to figure that out. We got we got to be a little, you know, but I don’t think our starters were great. I mean, they they missed some shots to begin with, but definitely when we, you know, that second quarter, I felt like our energy dropped and we have, you know, all the stats, our deflections went down, our our force turnovers went down. We just kind of started off with with decent energy and then the second second quarter, it kind of, you know, it just kind of caved our our energy. So, Paul, I should ask this pregame, but how’s Darius uh Darius’s injury? Is it week to week or day to day or what? Uh, you know, I’ I’d say dayto day. Day to day. Um, you know, I I know he I think he got on the court some today and and shot some, but um dayto day. Tyson, um, good question to be determined, right? Um obviously with the concussion that’s that can that can vary um depending on the degree they got to be evaluated every day and all that. So last two Mikey J just looking at the box score coach and I don’t even know exactly how to ask this question but proctor had eight field goal attempts at seven minutes at how explain just seven shot attempts in 35 minutes. Yeah it’s a great question. Um, you know, um, you know, we didn’t do get a good do a good job getting him the ball. Um, you know, it just, uh, you know, Tyrese I thought had good looks. Um, so I want him to take those shots. Um, but, you know, I think Evan was part of the, you know, part of part of the group that that didn’t have the highest energy tonight, right? You kind of make your um, you know, make your your um, the ball finds energy, right? and and all JA too is wasn’t just Evan. I thought it was collective. Um but yeah, we we can do a better job getting getting him the ball. I know we tried to run a few ATO’s uh for them that they they blew up. Um so um yeah, got to got to do better. Last one, J. Yep. Back to back five and seven, but some guys had last night off. How do you know how much to to attribute to the schedule? Yeah, it’s tough to tough to play that game. Um, listen, I’m sure they’re tired, too. We’re all, you know, we you know, you you’ve been in this league, so not going to use that as as an excuse. Um, like I said, I do know we got to we got to, you know, we got to recover, get a good night’s sleep. Um, got a good stretch at home here where we can we can make make up some some ground. Um, so looking forward to that. Okay. All right. Thanks, everybody. Thanks, Kenny. All right.

Kenny Atkinson spoke to the media after a 126-113 loss to the Toronto Raptors in Cleveland.