Atkinson's Cavs stay hot, blow out Warriors to reach 10-0 - ESPN

CLEVELAND — Kenny Atkinson couldn't help but smile as he looked at the box score 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, right?» Atkinson said. «I was worried about tonight because the Warriors are champions. That 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 routed 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 of them. The Cavs also are the first team to start 10-0 since the 2015-16 Warriors.

Atkinson's high-powered offense has been a great fit for Cleveland, which leads the league in points per game at 124.5 and with a .526 field goal percentage.

Under now-Detroit coach J.B. 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 hiring 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 spot for Kenny,» Kerr said. «Continuity was already there and they were damn good last year, but Kenny has added his touch. He obviously is 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