The Miami Heat rolled past the sluggish Cavaliers 129-96 on Wednesday, thanks in large part to Kyle Lowry’s season-high 28 points and seven 3-pointers. Cleveland was playing the second night of a back-to-back.
At the 3-point line, Lowry was 7 for 9 for the game. He hit his first five attempts. With All-Star center Bam Adebayo sidelined with an injury, the Heat still managed to win for the ninth time in ten games by jumping out to a 19-point lead in the first half and never looking back.
The majority of Miami’s action has taken place away from home, as the Heat have played a record-breaking 12 of their first 17 games away from South Florida.
Jaime Jaquez Jr., a rookie, scored 22 points, his career high.
The winning streak of the Cavaliers was cut off at four games. They won in overtime against Philadelphia on Tuesday to maintain their hopes of earning a wild card to the NBA’s mid-season tournament, so it’s no surprise they were dragging.
Cleveland, which has been dealing with a number of ailments, was led by Darius Garland’s 14 points and Evan Mobley’s 13 points. Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff benched his starting lineup after their deficit widened to 22 points entering the fourth quarter.
Similarly, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra used his bench players to seal Miami’s biggest victory of the season.
For the Cavaliers, youngster Craig Porter Jr. had a career-best 16 points in his debut game.
The top players for both teams were not available.
Falling during a recent game aggravated Adebayo’s left hip bruise, so he sat out. With 22.8 points per game and 10.2 rebounds per game, Adebayo is the Heat’s go-to scorer and defensive anchor.
The Cavaliers, who have struggled to field a full roster this season because to injury, lost Donovan Mitchell for a second straight game. The squad is taking extra precautions around Mitchell, who is averaging 29.2 points per game and has missed four games due to a hamstring issue.
Following the opening tip, Lowry immediately set the tone by leading the Heat to a 19-7 advantage with four 3-pointers in the first 4 minutes and 49 seconds.
The Cavaliers rallied and cut the lead in half, but Lowry extended it to 27-20 with his sixth consecutive 3-pointer. Launching from 32 feet, the Miami point guard hit a Heat check and missed his first deep shot.
Despite Cleveland’s best efforts, the Heat extended their advantage to 101–79 in the third quarter thanks to five additional 3-pointers (two of which came from Lowry).
The second quarter saw the removal of Miami reserve guard Dru Smith from the game due to what seemed to be a lower leg injury.
Due to personal matters, Heat forward Kevin Love was unable to attend. Following his release from Cleveland last season, this would have been his return to the club for the first game. Love was an integral part of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 2016 NBA championship team and spent nine seasons with the organization.
