The Cleveland Cavaliers lost a tough one.
Darius Garland had a chance to win the game from the free-throw line.
Despite being a 90% free-throw shooter, he missed two shots.
The Cavs aren’t sweating that loss, as heartbreaking as that might be.
Following the game, coach Kenny Atkinson had nothing but positive things to say about his team.
Talking to the media, he raved about the team’s resiliency and fight, adding that they had plenty of chances, but sometimes things just go like that in the NBA (via FanDuel Sports Network Cleveland).
Kenny Atkinson: "I thought our guys laid it on the line. Tough loss." pic.twitter.com/ZGUallHUDt
— FanDuel Sports Network Cleveland (@FanDuelSN_CLE) January 23, 2025
All things considered, it was a solid outing from the Cavaliers.
They were without Evan Mobley, perhaps their best defensive player and third-leading scorer.
They were also without a solid defender in Isaac Okoro and their leading scorer off the bench, Caris LeVert.
The Rockets are the second-best team in the Western Conference and the No. 1 rebounding team in the entire league.
Even so, the Cavs still had 20 offensive rebounds.
They tightened up on defense and limited the Rockets to 15 points in the fourth quarter.
It’s never easy to win on the road, much less undermanned and against an inter-conference opponent.
The Cavs still have the best record in the league, and these games will battle-test them and get them ready for when it matters most.
Of course, you want to win every single game you play, and it’s tough to lose one you had a huge chance to win.
But at the end of the day, this team should be just fine.
NEXT: Donovan Mitchell Has Honest Admission About Loss To Rockets
