The end of Monday night’s game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat was something out of a movie. From the back-and-forth all fourth quarter long, to the Jamie Jaquez Jr drive and score to get the game to overtime. It didn’t stop.
And then when all hope looked lost for Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell hit an incredible game-tying three-pointer to tie things up with 0.4 seconds.
But, right after the crazy hoop from the Cavs superstar, Miami found Andrew Wiggins on a lob as time expired to win the game at the horn. Cleveland wasn’t defending at the rim.
It’s worth noting that Darius Garland left the game early with an issue with his left toe, which he had surgery on in the offseason. As the team waits for word on his long-term status, they prepare to face Miami for a second consecutive game.
Only this time, Mitchell, Garland, Evan Mobley, Larry Nance Jr and Jaylon Tyson will all be out.
Short-Handed Cleveland Cavaliers Look for Win
Playing without all three of your All-Stars from a season ago is never easy. Cleveland will have to do that against a team that just stunned them at the horn less than 48 hours ago. Darius Garland left with a toe issue. Both Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley will be resting ahead of the team’s game with the Raptors tomorrow night.
In addition to those guys, Jaylon Tyson is out with a concussion, taking one of their top-performing wings out of the lineup. As the team prepares for a game with this many players missing, this is where their depth can come into play.
Second-round pick Tyrese Proctor hit five threes in a game just one week ago. All of those triples came in the final frame. Fellow Aussie Luke Travers has been called upon before, and delivered when needed.
There was a stretch on Monday night where Sam Merrill hit four straight threes in the fourth-quarter, a 12-0 run by himself.
De’Andre Hunter has been looking incredibly sharp for the team. Of course, Craig Porter Jr and Jarrett Allen will both be out there. Dean Wade should have some quality looks. Lonzo Ball will likely draw his second start. This is a team that won 64 games a year ago. A large reason for that was their depth.
Stopping Norman Powell and Jaquez Jr. from getting easy buckets can go a long way. Boxing out Kel’el Ware and blocking last-second lobs by putting size in the game should also help.
Cleveland Cavaliers Look to Avoid Skid
Getting to play the team that broke your heart just two days ago could be good for morale. There is no waiting period for the Cleveland Cavaliers as they now face the Miami Heat again right away.
Regardless of the fact that their All-Stars won’t be playing, they should stack up decently. The recent play of De’Andre Hunter, who has back-to-back 20+ point performances has been encouraging. He also had the ankle-breaker of the year on Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey recently.
Merrill’s ability to get hot and hold his own on the defensive end goes a long way. Monday night was also personal for Miami, as they were swept by Cleveland in the first-round of the 2025 playoffs.
After 178 combined points were scored in the last meeting, look for a bit more defense this time around. And watch for the Cavs role players to be the ones to swing the game.
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