Kenny Atkinson reveals what the Cavaliers to work on after beating Nuggets

The Cleveland Cavaliers extended their win streak to three games with a 113–108 victory over a shorthanded Denver Nuggets on Friday night, but the mood afterwards was far from triumphant.

Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson, in particular, wasn’t all smiles postgame.

Atkinson made it clear that, despite the result, he was dissatisfied with his team’s performance—particularly on the offensive end.

"Our offense was just really bad,” Atkinson said. This is despite the Cavs shooting a higher field-goal percentage, a better three-point percentage, and taking six more free-throw attempts than Denver.

“Stagnant, iso, not moving it, so that was the negative. We kept telling the guys, okay, they're playing zone, but we can still play with pace. We don't have to hold it, take 10 dribbles and jack a three.

“Then just, generally, we’ve got to be stronger with the ball at the rim. Evan, like… come on, man. I love Ev, but we got an advantage inside. If we're going to throw it to these guys, they’ve got to do more with it."

Kenny calling it like it is:

"Our offense was just really bad. ... Stagnant, iso, not moving it, so that was the negative. ... We kept telling the guys, okay they're playing zone, but we can still play with pace. We don't have to hold it, take 10 dribbles and jack a three. ...… pic.twitter.com/xj0n3W8sUu
— RealCavsFans.com (@realcavsfans) January 3, 2026

Atkinson bluntly assessed the Cavaliers’ execution. An over-reliance on isolation plays, noting a lack of ball movement and tempo.

Denver’s use of a zone defense should not have slowed Cleveland down as much as it did. Instead of attacking with pace, the Cavs often settled for excessive dribbling and rushed three-point attempts late in possessions.

The Cavs shot 50 percent from the field and 41 percent from range. Better than the Nuggets’ 43 percent from the floor and 36 percent from three-point land.

But despite the higher numbers, Denver did have more bites of the cherry, shooting eight more field goal attempts than Cleveland and taking eight fewer from deep than the Nuggets.

But the majority of the Cavs’ three-point attempts were forced, done in isolation and not because they got a good look. Something Atkinson has stressed will be worked on.

His feelings have certainly mirrored the thoughts of the players, most notably Donovan Mitchell, who despite blitzing the Nuggets with 33 points, was also not content with the performance and the state of the Cavaliers at the moment.

Despite a hat-trick of consecutive wins, there is still a lot of work to be done from now until the Playoffs. But they are on the right track.

And though the win kept Cleveland trending upward in the standings, Atkinson’s comments underscored a coach focused on long-term growth rather than short-term satisfaction.