Cavs vs Rockets | Kenny Atkinson Post Game | 11.19.2025

Cavs vs Rockets | Kenny Atkinson Post Game | 11.19.2025

Dan Kenny, you guys scored just 40 points in the first half tonight. What did you think was the issue offensively early? I don’t know. You don’t make free throws and you don’t make threes. You know, it’s it’s uh it’s tough. I I don’t know. He said our shot quality was in the 91st percentile. So, I take that for what you want. I’ll I’ll look at the film. um you know um love we you know I felt like we’re getting to the rim you know we’re getting there and getting to the free throw line. Um you know we obviously you know I don’t want to blame it on on miss shots but um but they you know I didn’t really feel like we were in the game until that until the third quarter when when Naquin and and and CP kind of helped us. I think we cut it to four. Um but the rest of the game they kind of dominated us. Um I’d say um you know they really muck the game up. You know they they play off shooters and and leave their bigs at the rim. Um you know and you got to you got to make them pay um you know when they when they sit in the paint on you. We couldn’t we didn’t really make them pay. And then early in the game you subbed out Donovan and Evan together in the first quarter. Not something you had been doing. What led you to that decision? Just looking at guys stance, you know, um, you know, Drew Dre too, I wanted to get Dre with that second unit a little more, get him going because I feel like in the first unit he’s he’s not getting as many looks, so that was part of it. Um, you know, shortening Evan stints a little. I felt like I’m I’ve been playing him like 12 minutes st like so um it was a little bit that and and you know we without Darius we got to we got to learn to survive a little bit about without him. Um so I wanted to see what that looked like. Kenny, you guys came into tonight’s game 26 in the NBA in free throw percentage. You guys then shot 20 of 32. You guys keep getting into these late game situations where it’s 10 points, eight points. How difficult is it to know that free throws could be man? You got to make your free throws. Especially like you say, Ethan, it’s great like fourth quarter end of the game like you know um you know it’s just it’s tough. Um it’s it’s such an important part of the game especially when you get 32 attempts. You got to you got to you got to knock them down. So um you know we haven’t been good since preseason really shooting free throws. We we practice them and you know like everybody does and um you know um it’ll turn though I you know it’ll turn um we got good free throw shooters. Um so and Darius obviously is like what mid 80s so that that’s that’s another guy Max good free throw shooter so uh you know we’re just not making them right now and it’s hurting us. You guys obviously this game kind of looked like uh two different philosophies. They like to play confrontational basketball. You guys like to play free flowing basketball. Kind of indicative of the playoffs as well. What do you think about how your philosophy can work? Well, they um how should I say they um um enforced their identity when we did. And that’s what this league comes down to. You have your identity and you got to go with it. And um you know, it’s the third time they beat us, you know, three in a row. So, they’ve done a better job. I think they had 19 offensive rebounds. um you know um so yeah, credit to them. Heck of a team contender. Um you know, tonight we couldn’t stand toe-to-toe with them. Just wasn’t wasn’t there. Coach Naquin made his first uh or maybe at first, but made his first start of the season, including a little scuffle there with Jabar. Yeah, I loved him and him and CP. I mean, those guys, they’re not afraid. Um even uh you know Naquin had that corner three which I I think we cut it you know cut the lead down and he just fire I love that like I said well you know he missed it um but um I loved his energy tonight his feistiness um you know you’re hoping like we discovered you know a real gem here. I mean, he’s he’s he’s showing really shown some things and with his length and athleticism. Um, and he’s tough as nails. He’s not backing down from anybody. Um, crazy competitive. So, and then back to the free throws real quick, but Evans one of the guys who who struggled from the chair to start this year. You notice anything mechanically different? I don’t know, Mike. I I know, Mike. I haven’t looked at it. I mean, maybe I should look at it, right? But um I I usually these things are are confidence, you know, and he’s probably lost some confidence and guys go through it, you know, they go through these these slumps and and uh he’s a, you know, good free throw shooter. Um he’ll come back. I just think, you know, probably probably a mental thing, a little bit of confidence lost. Uh coach, coming into this year, our uh going into this game, Houston was number one in free or I’m sorry, in rebounds per game. You guys are 17th. Is there a big concern with uh the rebounding aspect? Yeah, I mean, yes. I mean, we got to rebound the ball better. Um, you know, that’s that’s obviously their their strength. I mean, you look at their offensive numbers, right? Not it’s pretty like not you know what, 9 for 24 from three. um 46%, you know, um field goal, you know, field goals per field goal attempt, then 19 offensive rebounds. So, they’re, you know, that’s their that’s a huge biggest part of their offense and and so that’s their um we’re not built that way obviously. So, um you know, I felt like last year in the playoffs, we we we did a pretty good job. best team in the playoffs in the possession game. So, we can we can do it. Um, just got to, you know, focus in on a little more. And we obviously hit the team on it tonight, but they they hammered us. I’m I’m a little disappointed. We missed a lot of shots tonight, but we’re we’re not getting the offensive boards, you know. Um, we got some there at the end. Um, but, you know, little too little too late. Spence. Um, Donovan only had, I think, seven shots going into the fourth quarter. Were they doing anything defensively to Okay. Blitzed them. You know, they smart. They, you know, they know we got some guys out and he’s not going to beat us. Let the other guys beat us. Good game plan. Um. Yeah. Okay. It’s going to wrap, coach. All right. Thanks,

Cleveland Cavaliers Head Coach Kenny Atkinson spoke with the media following a 114-104 loss against the Houston Rockets on November 19, 2025 at Rocket Arena.