Kenny Atkinson blames Cavaliers bench for loss against Pistons

The Cleveland Cavaliers hit another bump in the road that is the 2025-26 campaign.

On Sunday, Jan. 4, the Cavaliers fell to the Detroit Pistons in a hard-fought outing that came down to some of the final possessions. The final score favoured the Pistons slightly, 114-110, with multiple issues arising throughout the game for the Cavaliers.

However, one thing that remained consistent was the reliability of superstar guard Donovan Mitchell. He scored 30 points on the night, 23 of which came in the second half of play, helping lead the Cavaliers to within two points in the dying embers of the game.

The Pistons were able to weather the storm, though, and sneak away with the win off the back of Ausar Thompson, who scored on a tip-in with under 20 seconds left, followed by four free throws from Daniss Jenkins to put the game to rest.

If this were any other night for Cleveland, it probably could have ended up being a win.

Unfortunately, the issues that arose were ones that hadn't occurred in games past, and the Cavaliers weren't able to make adjustments in time to try and pull off the win. The team's spacing was all over the place, especially with the players that were coming off the bench, who also weren't playing very well overall outside of that characteristic.

Four of the five double-digit scorers for the Cavaliers were from the starting lineup, with the only bench player that eclipsed such a mark being De'Andre Hunter. He finished the game with 14.

Everyone off the bench, outside of Hunter and Craig Porter Jr., also ended up with a negative plus-minus, signifying a major stressor for the starters to make up ground when they got back in the game. Head coach Kenny Atkinson pointed to the team's spacing and rebounding, which were also major issues in the loss.

"I told the guys it’s tough to win in the NBA when you lose the possession game by 10," Atkinson said. "When I mean the possession game, I mean rebounding. [Pistons] dominated on both ends, which is their strength. We turned it over….we gotta look at the spacing. It usually comes down to the spacings not perfect…definitely some spacing issues out there."

Atkinson did go on to take credit for the issues, saying that the coaching staff will have to work to correct the rotation in future games.

"We gotta look at it. Obviously wasn't the right combination," Atkinson said. "The bench play hurt us tonight."

In just 10 minutes of play, Lonzo Ball contributed zero points, two assists and two rebounds while turning the ball over twice en route to a negative 18 plus-minus. Porter Jr. tacked on two points, six rebounds and one assist in his 23 minutes of play, just barely squeaking over into positive plus-minus territory.

It's obvious that the bench isn't working well together lately, whether it's the combinations of guards or forwards, or just the mix between personnel. The fortunate thing is that Cleveland's working out these kinks now and not at the end of the season when they don't have time to.

If Cleveland really does want to compete for an NBA championship, addressing these issues before the All-Star break gives them plenty of time to try and make changes.

The Cavaliers will look to respond against the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday, Jan. 6, on the road from the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Fortunately, the Pacers are sputtering with a 6-30 overall record, making what should be a nice and easy victory for Cleveland.

Tip-off between the two sides is slated for 7:00 p.m. EST.