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Miami Suffers Blowout Loss Against Cavs

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Credit: Miami Heat
The Miami Heat suffered a crushing 126-106 defeat at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night at Kaseya Center, closing out their brief two-game homestand with a disappointing 1-1 split. The loss drops the Heat back to .500 at 23-23 as they now embark on a challenging four-game road trip, starting with the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.

The Heat’s recent shift towards a bigger lineup did little to counteract the Cavaliers’ overwhelming size and interior dominance. Despite Miami’s double-big frontcourt of Bam Adebayo and rookie Kel’el Ware making its fifth straight start, Cleveland dominated the paint with a lopsided 68-38 scoring advantage. Second-chance points were also a major issue for Miami, as the Cavaliers won that battle 20-10 while securing a 13-6 edge in offensive rebounds.

From the opening tip, the Heat found themselves trailing, with Cleveland scoring first and never relinquishing the lead. The Cavaliers, boasting the best record in the Eastern Conference at 38-9, set the tone early by building an 18-point halftime advantage. Miami showed signs of life in the third quarter, erupting for 43 points after managing just 41 in the entire first half. This surge allowed them to trim the deficit to 10 entering the final period, but any hopes of a comeback were quickly extinguished. After cutting the gap to eight with 11:15 remaining, the Heat surrendered a decisive 13-5 Cleveland run that stretched the lead back to 16, sealing the loss. The Cavaliers eventually expanded their advantage to as much as 22 points in the closing minutes.

Terry Rozier reflected on the loss, acknowledging Cleveland’s cohesion and execution as the clear difference-maker. “That just lets you know the difference in this league from the No. 1 team in the East to wherever the three or four or five spot is at,” Rozier said. “They’re connected, they play together. Every time we battled back and brought it to 10, they just pushed it right back up to 16, 18.”

Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell led all scorers with 34 points, while Evan Mobley made his presence felt with 22 points and 15 rebounds. For the Heat, Tyler Herro and Rozier each posted a team-high 22 points. Adebayo delivered 21 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and one block, but his efforts weren’t enough to overcome the Heat’s struggles inside. The Adebayo-Ware tandem, expected to bolster Miami’s interior presence, instead saw the team outscored by 13 points in the 19 minutes they played together. Furthermore, the Heat’s defensive rebounding percentage in those minutes (66.7%) would rank last in the NBA over the course of the season.

Head coach Erik Spoelstra emphasized the urgency to improve rebounding, particularly with the team’s larger lineups. “We’re a bigger frontline and this needs to be corrected,” Spoelstra said. “There are no excuses now. We have to be a lot more physical and purposeful on the glass. It’s that important for us to finish possessions.” Adebayo echoed similar sentiments, noting that rebounding struggles are a team-wide issue and not just the responsibility of the frontcourt duo.

The defeat marked a measure of revenge for the Cavaliers, who lost their first meeting of the season against Miami back on Dec. 8. The two teams will square off for their third and final regular-season matchup on March 5 in Cleveland. With the loss, Miami dropped to a dismal 10-19 against teams with a winning record, underscoring the team’s struggles against top competition.

The road ahead doesn’t get any easier for the Heat, as nine of their next ten games will be away from home, with their lone home contest during that stretch coming against the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics on Feb. 10. Rozier acknowledged the importance of this upcoming stretch. “I think this is, I don’t want to say make or break our season, but it’s going to be huge for us,” he said. “These are games we need to win.”

With Jimmy Butler serving a team suspension, the Heat once again turned to the same starting lineup of Herro, Duncan Robinson, Haywood Highsmith, Ware, and Adebayo. This group had posted positive results in its first two starts together, outscoring opponents by 13.5 points per 100 possessions over the previous two games. However, the Cavaliers’ size and execution exposed flaws in the lineup, as Miami’s starters were outscored by 10 points in 15 minutes together on Wednesday.

The Heat were also missing key rotation players, including Josh Richardson (right heel inflammation), Dru Smith (left Achilles surgery), and Isaiah Stevens (G League assignment). Meanwhile, the Cavaliers entered the contest shorthanded but still managed to control the game despite missing key players like Darius Garland, Caris LeVert, and Isaac Okoro.

For Miami’s rookie Kel’el Ware, the game was a learning experience. The 7-footer had been showing promise in recent weeks but struggled against Cleveland’s imposing frontcourt duo of Jarrett Allen and Mobley. Ware finished with just five points on 2-of-6 shooting, four rebounds, and three assists, while the Heat were outscored by 17 points during his 29 minutes on the floor. Spoelstra pointed out areas of improvement for Ware, particularly in decision-making and defensive positioning.

Amid the disappointing loss, one bright spot for the Heat was Herro’s continued strong play. He finished with 22 points, five rebounds, and six assists while shooting 40 percent from three-point range. With the 2025 NBA All-Star Game reserves set to be announced Thursday night, Herro’s performance bolstered his case for selection. Spoelstra made a final pitch for Herro’s All-Star nod, emphasizing his consistent production and impact this season.

As the Heat look to rebound from this tough loss, they will aim to correct their rebounding issues and defensive lapses before facing the Spurs on Saturday. With an unforgiving schedule ahead, Miami must find a way to improve its consistency and toughness against the league’s elite teams.

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