The Miami Heat took down the Cleveland Cavaliers with wild possessions until the very end.
Miami, FL - Last night was a thriller of a game for the Miami Heat as they went on to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers in overtime, with a final score of 140-138. Heading into the game, they were undefeated when playing at home, 4-0. It's actually benefited them in the past when the team starts that great on their home floor.
The Heat were still without All-Star center Bam Adebayo, who sustained a left great toe sprain last Wednesday. They also remained without Tyler Herro, who is still recovering from offseason ankle surgery, but could be on the cusp of his season debut.
Meanwhile, the Cavaliers were without Max Strus, who also has yet to make his season debut due to offseason foot surgery, and Larry Nance Jr., with a left knee contusion.
The last time both clubs met was in the first round of the playoffs, in which the Cavaliers embarrassed the Heat in front of their fans, winning game four with a final score of 138-83. However, Erik Spoelstra was more focused on the game ahead rather than recent history.
"We're just focused on enjoying the competition," he said. "It's not necessarily about the playoffs last year."
The starting lineups:
Cavaliers: Darius Garland-Donovan Mitchell-De'Andre Hunter-Evan Mobley-Jarrett Allen
Heat: Davion Mitchell-Norman Powell-Pelle Larsson-Andrew Wiggins-Kel'el Ware
It was time for tipoff and the Cavaliers wasted no time getting things going, punching the scoreboard with a right corner three-pointer by De'Andre Hunter. They proceeded to go on a 15-5 run, with five possessions coming near the rim.
However, the Heat would remain within striking distance. Then began to pick things up offensively, making five of their 12 three-pointers in the second quarter, as well as holding the Cavaliers to 32 percent from the field. The home team ended the period on a 22-4 run heading into halftime, taking a 62-53 lead.
Donovan Mitchell was scoreless in his seven minutes on the floor in the second.
The Heat had the momentum as the third quarter began, but the Cavaliers kept fighting, making it a tight game. Andrew Wiggins went on to score nine consecutive points. However, no team could find an edge over the other.
The Cavaliers started the fourth quarter with a 17-4 run, with Sam Merrill making four three-pointers, but it wasn't over. After tons of back and forth, with neither team having a lead bigger than four in the final nine minutes, a drive to the basket and a spin to the basket by Jaime Jaquez Jr., the Heat sent the game to overtime.
In the final seconds of the extra five minutes, the score was still tight, but Mitchell scored an unbalanced left corner three-pointer that would've sent the game to a second overtime. However, as the Heat inbounded the ball with four-tenths of a second on the clock, Nikola Jovic threw up a perfect alley-oop to Wiggins for the flush and called game.
The fans were electrified with the results and the last two insane sequences. The Heat protected homecourt once again.
It was revealed that assistant coach Chris Quinn came up with the out-of-bounds game-winning play.
"The coaches threw up a great play," Wiggins said postgame. "Niko gave me a perfect pass. D-Mitch got me open with a great screen, and I was there to finish the job. I'm happy that we can get this win. It was a hard-fought win. Hopefully, we can do the same thing when we play them in a couple of days."
Jovic alluded to being surprised by how open Wiggins was heading towards the rim and mentioned the similarities of the play when Gabe Vincent threw an alley-oop game-winner to Jimmy Butler against the Houston Rockets in 2023.
Wiggins finished with 23 points, two rebounds, five assists, and a steal. He continues to flourish offensively and impact defensively.
Kel'el Ware finished with 14 points and 20 rebounds, along with an assist, a steal, and a block, to which Spoelstra called his "best game."
"Impactful plays at key moments," he said. "That's the best game he's played in a Miami Heat uniform."
Norman Powell had another monster night, recording 33 points, along with four three-pointers made, two rebounds, two assists, a steal, and an assist.
"He is such a proven versatile scorer," Spoelstra said. "He can do it in so many different ways. I love the versatility of his offensive talent. He can play off the ball, he can play on the ball, he can play pick-and-roll ball, he can play driving, catch-and-go game. He's developed this toolkit over the course of his career because he had to play a lot of different roles, but he's clever, too. He knows how to use players' aggression against them. We're super grateful to have him."
Jaquez Jr. continues to carve out a Most Improved and Sixth Man of the Year campaign. Last night, he finished with 22 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists, a steal, and two blocks, including the basket to send the game to overtime.
Spoelstra alluded to his growth and aggressiveness this season.
"I'm just embracing the unknown," he said. "Embracing the confidence guys are gaining in what we're doing. It always helps when you get some W's out of it. The guys understand our identity to defend and that can create some things for us offensively."
The Heat will face the Cavaliers again on Wednesday night, but likely without Darius Garland, who exited the game early in the third quarter. It's usually difficult to beat a team twice in a row in the league, but it's a challenge they'll welcome.
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