Miami Heat (39-34) beat Cleveland Cavaliers (45-28) 120-103 on the road on Wednesday, March 25.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Heat had the better start, winning the first 28-19 to lead by 9 after one. The Heat kept the pressure on with a 35-27 second quarter, carrying a 17-point lead into halftime.
The Cavaliers won the third 37-20 to pull even, leaving the game tied at 83 entering the fourth. The Heat took the fourth 37-20; the Heat finished the job for a 120-103 regulation win.
What decided it
The Heat got more from their shots, finishing at 63% effective field-goal shooting compared with 50.6% for the Cavaliers. The Heat took better care of the ball, turning it over on 12.3% of possessions compared with 14.4% for the Cavaliers. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Cavaliers did win one battle, second chances: ORB% of 18.6% against 13.5%. The Heat made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 98 possessions per team, the Heat produced 122.9 points per 100 possessions to 105.5 for the Cavaliers.
The Heat's reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 41-14.
Who made the difference
Kel'el Ware was the game's biggest individual force for MIA: 13 pts, 11 reb, 4 ast on 5-5 shooting. His Game Score of 17.1 led everyone. His team was +32 with him on the floor.
Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 28 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast on 12-22 shooting, good for a 17 Game Score.
Bam Adebayo (17 pts, 10 reb, 7 ast) and Kel'el Ware (13 pts, 11 reb, 4 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
By our Win Meter this was an upset: The Heat entered with about a 24% chance.
Across the last 9 meetings in our records, Cleveland Cavaliers lead 7-2.
The Heat are now 39-34, and the Cavaliers are 45-28. The Heat last five before this game: L-L-L-L-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.