Kenny Atkinson calls the Cavaliers ‘a calm group’ after a 22-point cushion nearly slips away again, this time against the Nets

Kenny Atkinson saw two different games inside Saturday’s 125-121 home-opening win over the Brooklyn Nets, and the Cleveland Cavaliers coach chose to praise his team’s temperament while admitting the finish has become the problem to fix. Two nights after Cleveland let a 29-point lead disappear in a 114-106 loss at Philadelphia, a 22-point margin over Brooklyn shrank to two points in the final seconds.

“We’re a calm group,” Atkinson told reporters at Rocket Arena, adding that nobody on the bench was yelling at teammates while the lead melted and that this steadiness matters because a game like Saturday’s can get away from a team. He also joked that he might be the only one who raises his voice once in a while.

Game Center: Nets at Cavaliers, box score and play-by-play

Forty minutes of control, eight minutes of trouble

For most of the night the numbers backed the coach. Cleveland was ahead for 40 minutes and 28 seconds, shot 50 percent from the field, handed out 31 assists against Brooklyn’s 23 and blocked 10 shots. Atkinson put the good stretch at roughly nine-tenths of the game and singled out how the ball moved. Jarrett Allen made 7 of 8 shots for 21 points, Evan Mobley added 20 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks, and Donovan Mitchell scored 22 in 35 minutes. Jaylon Tyson gave the bench 15 points.

The fourth quarter told another story. Brooklyn scored 43 points in the period, Cleveland managed 29, and the Cavaliers finished with 23 turnovers. A 17-point lead with four minutes left turned into a 22-7 Nets run, and Michael Porter Jr.’s fourth three of the night made it 123-121 with 8.1 seconds remaining. Porter fouled out on the next possession, and Sam Merrill made both free throws to close it. Porter led the Nets with 28 points, Julius Randle had 23 and Egor Demin 22.

The lesson Atkinson wants to keep

Atkinson framed the two collapses as teaching material rather than a crisis, saying the team learned plenty from the Philadelphia loss and would take just as much from this one, with closing out games as the focus. Mitchell made a similar point with a caveat: he noted that a young Brooklyn team is not Philadelphia, and that the Cavaliers got away with mistakes a stronger opponent would punish. “You find out what you’re made of,” Mitchell said.

The pattern is worth watching for a team built on a deep rotation. Ten Cavaliers played, with James Harden logging 33 minutes despite a 1-of-8 shooting night, and Atkinson leaned on Mario Hezonja, Merrill and Tyrese Proctor for long bench stretches that were all in the plus column.

What comes next

Cleveland, now 1-1, hosts the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday, October 26, at 7:00 p.m. ET in a test of whether the closing work shows up against a playoff-level opponent. Game Center: Timberwolves at Cavaliers. Brooklyn returns home to face the Indiana Pacers on Sunday, October 25 (Game Center).