NEW ORLEANS – Inspired by Jarrett Allen, the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrated their 9-0 start to the first season in team history by pouring water bottles on coach Kenny Atkinson’s head in the locker room.

There will be games much bigger and higher stakes than the Cavs’ 131-122 win in New Orleans Wednesday night.

But Atkinson didn’t mind taking some time to enjoy something no other Cavs team has done in the 55 years since Cleveland joined the NBA for the 1970-71 season.

“You have to do it,” said Atkinson, who also became the first NBA coach to win his first nine games with a new team. “This season is very long. It is very difficult to win in this league. So when you have moments like that, you have to celebrate a little bit.”

The Cavs shot 54.2% of their shots in the Big Easy, including 48.6% (17 of 35) from three-point range, an NBA-best 52.6% this season.

“We’re playing good basketball,” said All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, who scored a team-high 29 points for New Orleans. Five other teammates also scored 11 or more points. “We’ve done it in a lot of different ways. We’ve had blowouts, we’ve had close games, we’ve had come-from-behind wins.

“It’s just the habits that really get me excited about what we’re doing,” Mitchell said. “My biggest feature is being consistent. “Let’s continue to be this team.”

Cleveland next plays at home Friday night against the Golden State Warriors, who set the NBA record for best start to a season by winning their first 24 games of the 2015-16 season.

Against the Pelicans, the Cavs got 50 points from the reserves, while four of their five starters had 14 or more points.

“Again, everyone contributes,” Atkinson said. “This is something good teams do. We are in a good place physically. We are in a good place mentally.

“When you win nine times in a row, it’s not one guy or two guys; “That’s the whole squad,” he added.

In his previous four seasons as head coach in Brooklyn, Atkinson had just one winning record, going 42-40 in 2018-19.

He spent the last four seasons as an assistant; His first season was with the Los Angeles Clippers, and his last three seasons were with Golden State.

Now he’s off to a pretty auspicious start to his second tenure as head coach, albeit with a team that won the playoff series a season ago and is expected to be in the postseason picture in the Eastern Conference again this season.

“The vibes are great, the energy is great, he’s done a phenomenal job with us and we’ve been supportive,” Mitchell said. “He gave us input, but he also let us give input ourselves, and I think that’s what’s special.”

Atkinson, meanwhile, seems pleased with the synergy he feels not only between his players but also between them and himself.

“What I think about is this team and the camaraderie they have, the chemistry we have and how committed they are to each other,” Atkinson said. he said. “I’ve had the chance to work with a really good group, a group that’s been really successful in the past, and I’m happy for them and I think they’re happy for me in the dressing room.

“There is a bond between the head coach and the team,” Atkinson continued. “You have to celebrate these moments, and that’s pretty nice.”

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