On Tuesday evening, the Cleveland Cavs picked up one of their most impressive wins of the season with a home victory over the top seed in the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons. Although things got a bit dicier down the stretch than they probably needed to, the Cavs were ultimately able to hold on and push their record to 39-24 on the season.
One scary moment occurred when Cavs big man Jarrett Allen suffered an apparent knee injury in this one, but after the game, head coach Kenny Atkinson didn’t seem to be too concerned, per Spencer Davies of ClutchPoints.
“Kenny Atkinson says Jarrett Allen took a ‘knee to knee’ to the right leg and we’ll see how it looks tomorrow,” reported Davies on X, formerly Twitter.
Davies also reported that “Although it appeared to be non-contact, Atkinson doesn’t feel it was a twist or anything for JA.”
It’s certainly a sigh of relief for Cavs fans who have seen their team deal with its fair share of injuries so far this year.
Allen got off to a relatively quiet start to the year in 2025-26, but has been playing some improved basketball of late, thanks in large part to the presence of James Harden, whom the team acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers at the recent NBA trade deadline. Harden has a history of bringing the most out of rolling big men like Allen, constantly able to find them on lobs and cuts to the basket.
Meanwhile, Harden has fit in seamlessly with running mate Donovan Mitchell so far in Cleveland, and many now view the Cavs as the favorites to come out of the East, despite their rough start to the season.
In any case, the Cavs are next set to take the floor on Sunday afternoon for a home game against the Boston Celtics.