Norman Powell scored 19 points and Tyler Herro added 18 as the Miami Heat ended a five-game losing streak with a 120-103 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night in Cleveland. The Heat had eight players score in double figures in their most complete performance of the season.
As healthy as they’ve been all season, the Heat squandered a 17-point lead in the third quarter before recovering in the fourth quarter. Miami led by nine with five minutes remaining before Bam Adebayo converted a three-point play and Kel’el Ware scored on a layup in an 11-second span to put the game away.
Adebayo finished with 17 points while Ware contributed 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat. Miami made 13 three-pointers while opening a 21-point lead in the first half, controlling most of the first three quarters against Cleveland.
Donovan Mitchell scored 28 points before fouling out in the final minutes for the Cavaliers, whose four-game winning streak came to an end. James Harden and Sam Merrill each scored 18 points for Cleveland in the loss.
Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson was hoping for a better defensive effort from his team, which gave up 131 points against Orlando on Tuesday. Atkinson believes the Cavs are capable of more, but said they need to “make the shift in mentality” with the playoffs nearing.
The Cavaliers continued to deal with injury issues as center Jarrett Allen missed his 10th straight game. The latest injury came in warmups when forward Dean Wade rolled his right ankle after stepping on a ballboy’s foot. Wade, who has started 36 games this season, was unable to play.
The Heat will stay in Cleveland and play the Cavaliers again on Friday for the fourth and final time this season between the two teams.