CLEVELAND — The short-handed and beaten Cavaliers look to maintain their recent pace in a game against the Miami Heat on Wednesday night.
Despite being without 60 percent of their starting XI, the Cavs still have the second-best record in the league since January 3 at 10 p.m.-10 a.m., including a victory against the Indiana Pacers A few days ago.
Donovan Mitchell remains out after having his nose broken by Tristan Thompson. The Cavs have had a hot streak thanks in part to Jarrett Allen, who could have a fight that he is one of the top 10 players in the NBA this season.
The Heat are also struggling, with Bam Adebayo expected to be out and Jimmy Butler questionable.
Check back here for updates and analysis throughout the game.
Cavs lead Heat 96-94 with 4:19 left in fourth quarter
The Cavs are on top again in what constitutes another attempt at returning home.
After trailing by double digits, the Cavs pulled off a one-point game, and Georges Niang just put Cleveland ahead with an and-1 floater, making the score 96-94 with just over four minutes left. .
The Cavs offense has found its rhythm and is livening up a little. The presence of Darius Garland seemingly opened things up a lot, even though he had an ineffective night shooting the ball. He also came up with a few key plays and created space for others.
The Cavs come back: Cleveland goes on for 3 seconds and reduces the Heat’s lead to 92-91
This fourth quarter was ugly for the Cavs, full of turnovers and awkward ball movement.
But they also went on a stretch 3, the last by Georges Niang, and somehow cut the Heat’s lead to one point, 92-91, with 5:53 to play.
It’s a reminder of what the Cavs found in their first run without a few starters, as they had their backs against the wall and leaned into an offense based on more movement and 3-point shooting. If they hit, they can keep pace, with the losses of Mitchell, Mobley and Strus.
Cavs Heat score: Miami leads Cleveland 83-75 early in fourth quarter
The Cavs struggled to keep up with the Heat, partly because of the loss of firepower in the starting lineup and partly because of a series of unforced errors.
Jarrett Allen is having a great night. He has 19 points and 14 rebounds on 9-of-11 shooting from the floor. Outside of Allen, the sledding was generally difficult.
Darius Garland has 14 points, but those 14 points are now on 5-of-14 shooting. Overall, the Cavs are shooting just 46 percent from the floor and 35 percent from 3-point range. This is something they have encountered and will encounter with Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Max Strus.
The Cavs also had a number of misguided turnovers, to say the least. They threw it away twice just trying to inbound the ball and cross half court. Tristan Thompson just grabbed a rebound going out of bounds. And Sam Merrill a few moments ago tried to throw the ball in the corner – only, no one was there.
Darius Garland makes a 4-point play to cut the Heat’s lead to 76-74
The Cavs briefly secured their first lead of the second half, but the Heat responded with a point of their own, extending the lead to 76-70.
The Cavs got most of that back in one fell swoop. Darius Garland was found with some elbow room and made a 3-pointer while being fouled and thrown to the floor. Garland also made the ensuing free throw, cutting Miami’s lead to 76-74.
Garland now has 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting tonight.
Heat leads Cavs 61-57 at halftime
This first half featured a lot of frustration for the Cavs sideline, some of it directed at the referee and some of it directed at their own defense.
Heat guard Terry Rozier was cautioned for a foul late in the second half, prompting sarcastic cheers from the home crowd after a series of fouls against Cleveland. Tristan Thompson, on the bench at the time of the foul, stood up and clapped his hands sarcastically several times.
The Cavs had a positive run at the end of the half, cutting the Heat’s double-digit lead to four points, 61-57.
Jarrett Allen (of course) already has a double-double with a team-high 10 rebounds. Caris LeVert was active for the Cavs tonight with 12 points, three rebounds and four assists in the first half.
But defensively, the Cavs had no answer for Jimmy Butler, who scored a game-high 20 points. Isaac Okoro had his hands full with the defensive assignment.
Cavs head coach JB Bickerstaff on technical foul must be held in second quarter against Heat
At the time of this grab, Cavaliers head coach JB Bickerstaff is near midcourt, yelling at any referee who will listen. It took him about two seconds to receive a technical foul, and assistant coaches are trying to get between him and any referee near him.
Bickerstaff was upset by a non-call by Tristan Thompson, who went for a shot and was knocked to the floor but was not fouled. That led to a fast break for the Heat, who extended their lead to 48-39 with 6:25 left in the first half.
Thompson and Bickerstaff are not happy. Thompson is still, on the bench after a timeout, pleading his case and explaining his vision of the game.
Sam Merrill scores 3-pointer in final seconds, Cavs trail Heat 31-30 after first quarter
Marcus Morris St. found Sam Merrill, who made a 3-pointer in the final seconds of the first quarter to cut the Heat’s lead to 31-30.
Merrill has given the Cavs a significant boost as a 3-point threat since leaving the G League. He knocked down both of his 3-point attempts tonight. Isaac Okoro has a team-high seven points for the shorthanded Cavs.
Jimmy Butler, who actually plays tonight, also has seven points for the Heat.
Marcus Morris St. plays first home game with Cavaliers; Heat leads Cavs 23-19 in first quarter
Marcus Morris Sr.recently signed a 10 day contractparticipated in his first game at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse as a member of the Cavs and received a nice ovation.
Due to the Cavs’ numerous injuries, Morris was immediately thrown into the mix, checking the game in the first quarter. Morris logged nearly 20 minutes in his Cavs debut in Indiana.
Below is some pre-match information.
History of recent Cavaliers and Heat games
The Cavs and the Heat are playing the third of the fourth meeting this season. The Cavs beat the Heat 11-99 in their last game, the second double-digit win over Miami in the last 20 years.
The Cavs enter Wednesday night 25-10 in their last 35 games since Jan. 3, the second-best record in the NBA over that span.
Cavs vs. Heat injury report for Wednesday night; Donovan Mitchell out for Cleveland, Bam Adebayo out for Miami
The Cavaliers will be without Donovan Michell, who had his nose broken by Tristan Thompson over the weekend. Mitchell will be out for at least the next few games before being re-evaluated next week.
The Cavs are also still without Evan Mobley (sprained ankle) and Max Strus (sprained knee), in addition to Dean Wade (sprained knee) and Ty Jerome (ankle surgery).
The Heat have some questionable key tags entering Wednesday night’s game, including Jimmy Butler (bruised foot) and Bam Adebayo (bruised back). Butler is expected to play, while Abedayo is expected to be unavailable.
The Heat will be without Tyler Herro (right foot injury), Kevin Love (bruised heel), Duncan Robinson (back discomfort) and Josh Richardson (right shoulder surgery). Caleb Martin is expected to be available with a sprained thumb.
How can I watch, stream or listen to Miami Heat at Cleveland Cavaliers
The Heat-Cavs game will be televised on WUAB CW 43. The game will be broadcast on radio via WTAM (1100-AM), WMMS (100.7-FM) and WNZN (89.1-FM).
