Cleveland Cavaliers (46-28) beat Miami Heat (39-35) 149-128 at home on Friday, March 27. The final margin was 21 points.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Cavaliers struck first, taking the opening quarter 40-27 and a 13-point lead after one. The Cavaliers kept the pressure on with a 41-19 second quarter, carrying a 35-point lead into halftime.
The Heat won the third 41-28 to stay in front, taking a 22-point lead into the fourth. The Heat took the fourth 41-40; the Cavaliers held on for a 149-128 regulation win.
Why it was lopsided
The Cavaliers got more from their shots, finishing at 63.4% effective field-goal shooting compared with 52.2% for the Heat. The Cavaliers took better care of the ball, turning it over on 8% of possessions compared with 11.8% for the Heat. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Heat did win one battle, the free-throw line: FT rate of 36.3 against 26.8. The Cavaliers made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 111 possessions per team, the Cavaliers produced 134 points per 100 possessions to 115.1 for the Heat.
Who stood out
Max Strus was the game's biggest individual force for CLE: 29 pts, 8 reb, 1 ast on 10-14 shooting. His Game Score of 24.5 led everyone. His team was +22 with him on the floor.
Evan Mobley (23 pts, 10 reb, 3 ast), Jarrett Allen (18 pts, 10 reb, 0 ast), and James Harden (17 pts, 5 reb, 14 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Cavaliers about a 70% chance.
Across the last 10 meetings in our records, Cleveland Cavaliers lead 7-3.
The Cavaliers are now 46-28, and the Heat are 39-35. The Cavaliers last five before this game: W-W-W-W-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.