Heat pull away late to beat Cavaliers 120-103 in Cleveland
heat-top-cavaliers-120-103-after-halftime-rally-fades
The Miami Heat capitalized on a sluggish start by the Cleveland Cavaliers and left Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse with a 120-103 victory on Wednesday night, snapping Cleveland’s four-game winning streak.
Slow first half puts Cavaliers in a hole
Cleveland (45-28) struggled out of the gate, falling behind by 17 at halftime after failing to secure loose balls and string together stops. Head coach Kenny Atkinson later pointed to Miami’s unexpected perimeter production, noting, “They had a lot of their role players making shots.”
Third-quarter surge erased deficit
The Cavaliers stormed back after intermission, matching Miami’s energy, tightening their defense and outscoring the visitors by 17 to level the game heading to the fourth. The momentum, however, disappeared quickly as the Heat (39-34) regrouped and pulled away for good.
Perimeter shooting decides outcome
Miami knocked down 18 of 45 attempts from beyond the arc, while Cleveland converted just 12 of 37. Atkinson summed up the difference: “They made ’em, we didn’t.”
Key performances
Cavaliers
Donovan Mitchell paced Cleveland with 28 points one night after scoring 42 in Orlando. James Harden contributed 18 points on 10 shots, nine rebounds and seven assists but committed five turnovers. Sam Merrill added 18 points, and Keon Ellis chipped in 17 with his usual defensive pressure. Evan Mobley was limited to eight field-goal attempts, finishing 3-for-8 as Miami collapsed on him in the paint. “The next step for Evan is figuring out what to do when the defense collapses,” Atkinson said.
Heat
Norman Powell led a balanced attack with 19 points. Tyler Herro scored 18, and Bam Adebayo managed 17 on 6-of-19 shooting while battling Mobley inside.
Unavailable players
Cleveland was without center Jarrett Allen (knee) for the 10th straight game and missed wing defenders Jaylon Tyson (toe), Max Strus (foot management) and Dean Wade, who sprained an ankle during warm-ups.
What’s next
The teams meet again Friday in Cleveland, the front end of the Cavaliers’ final nine games as they try to solidify playoff positioning.
Source: Hoops Wire
