Atkinson’s Cavs stay hot, blow out Warriors to go 10-0

CLEVELAND — Kenny Atkinson couldn’t help but smile as he looked at the box and stared at the record of his Cleveland Cavaliers.

His first season as their coach has gone perfectly.

“10-0 is something. It’s kind of a magic number, isn’t it?” Atkinson said. “I was worried about tonight because the Warriors are champions. It surprised me how ready we were, how hungry we were. 10-0 is really something for our team.”

Darius Garland scored 27 points and Evan Mobley had 23 as the Cavaliers dispatched the Golden State Warriors 136-117 on Friday night, becoming the first team in NBA history to win its first 10 games and score at least 110 points in each . The Cavs are also the first team to start 10-0 since the 2015-16 Warriors.

Atkinson’s high-powered offense has been a perfect fit for Cleveland, who leads the league in points per game. game with 124.5 and with a field goal percentage of .526.

Under current Detroit coach JB Bickerstaff last season, the Cavaliers averaged 112.6 points and shot .479 from the field – with the same top nine players on their roster. They lost to eventual champion Boston in the second round of the playoffs.

The only significant change made by general manager Koby Altman was to hire Atkinson after he spent three years as an assistant under Steve Kerr with the Warriors.

“This was a great job to get, just like mine was 10 years ago, and it’s a perfect place for Kenny,” Kerr said. “The continuity was already there and they were bloody good last year, but Kenny has added his touch. He’s obviously a good fit.”

Atkinson’s up-tempo style quickly won over the face of the franchise, All-Star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell. Atkinson had previously worked with current Cavs players Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert during his head coaching tenure in Brooklyn, making the transition even easier.

Taking advantage of Cleveland’s depth has also paid dividends during the best start in franchise history. Ten players play an average of at least 15 minutes per game. games, but no one logs more than 30.

“We’re playing fast and we’re playing the right way,” said backup guard Ty Jerome, who scored a season-high 20 points against Golden State. “Everybody’s making shots and everybody’s having fun. And the unselfishness of Donovan and Darius allows us to play that way.”

On a night when the Cavaliers built a 41-point 83-42 halftime lead — tying the eighth-largest in the NBA’s shot clock era — and tied the team record for points in a half, several players noted that they still haven’t . reached their potential.

Cleveland has outscored its opponent in every game, but has only won the rebounding game four times. The Cavs also committed 19 turnovers that led to 30 points against the Warriors.

“That’s the thing — we’ve got a long way to go, a lot of things to clean up, which is great,” Allen said. “We know we can get better and we won’t stop working until we get there. Kenny is one of the best coaches in the league and it shows.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.