Game ID: 42400101
Miami Heat @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Sunday, April 20, 2025 at 7:00 PM ET
Rocket Arena, Cleveland, OH
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
CLE 31 31 25 34 121MIA 24 30 25 21 100
CLE vs MIA ScoutingCLE vs MIA Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
CLE availability going into 4/08 · 1 day's restOUT Tomlin missed 2 since 4/04, out tonight
BACK Wade back 4/06 after 2, 4 min since (17% of 20)
BACK Jerome back 4/06 after 5, 23 min since (116% of 20)
CLE availability going into 4/10 · 1 day's restOUT Tomlin missed 3 since 4/04, out tonight
BACK Wade back 4/06 after 2, 12 min since (59% of 20)
BACK Jerome back 4/06 after 5, 22 min since (111% of 20)
CLE availability going into 4/11 · back-to-backOUT Mitchell missed 2 since 4/08, out tonight
OUT Tomlin missed 4 since 4/04, out tonight
BACK Wade back 4/06 after 2, 18 min since (87% of 20)
BACK Jerome back 4/06 after 5, 23 min since (117% of 20)
CLE availability going into 4/13 · 1 day's restOUT Mitchell missed 3 since 4/08, out tonight
OUT Tomlin missed 5 since 4/04, returns tonight: 47 min (369% of 13)
BACK Wade back 4/06 after 2, 20 min since (98% of 20)
BACK Jerome back 4/06 after 5, 23 min since (117% of 20)
CLE availability going into 4/20 · 6 days' restOUT Mitchell missed 4 since 4/08, returns tonight: 33 min (106% of 32)
OUT Hunter missed 2 since 4/11, returns tonight: 16 min (65% of 25)
OUT Jerome missed 2 since 4/11, returns tonight: 26 min (132% of 20)
OUT Merrill missed 2 since 4/11, returns tonight: 24 min (121% of 20)
BACK Wade back 4/06 after 2, 20 min since (98% of 20)
BACK Tomlin back 4/13 after 5, 47 min since (369% of 13)
NEW Okoro 18 to 24 min over the last 4
CLE availability going into 4/23 · 2 days' restBACK Mitchell back 4/20 after 4, 33 min since (106% of 32)
BACK Hunter back 4/20 after 2, 16 min since (65% of 25)
BACK Jerome back 4/20 after 2, 26 min since (132% of 20)
BACK Merrill back 4/20 after 2, 24 min since (121% of 20)
BACK Tomlin back 4/13 after 5, 47 min since (369% of 13)
CLE availability going into 4/26 · 2 days' restBACK Mitchell back 4/20 after 4, 34 min since (109% of 32)
BACK Hunter back 4/20 after 2, 20 min since (80% of 25)
BACK Jerome back 4/20 after 2, 25 min since (124% of 20)
BACK Merrill back 4/20 after 2, 22 min since (110% of 20)
BACK Tomlin back 4/13 after 5, 47 min since (369% of 13)
CLE availability going into 4/28 · 1 day's restBACK Mitchell back 4/20 after 4, 33 min since (105% of 32)
BACK Hunter back 4/20 after 2, 23 min since (92% of 25)
BACK Jerome back 4/20 after 2, 24 min since (119% of 20)
BACK Merrill back 4/20 after 2, 21 min since (106% of 20)
BACK Tomlin back 4/13 after 5, 47 min since (369% of 13)
CLE availability going into 5/04 · 5 days' restOUT Garland missed 2 since 4/26, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 4/20 after 4, 31 min since (98% of 32)
BACK Hunter back 4/20 after 2, 22 min since (90% of 25)
BACK Jerome back 4/20 after 2, 23 min since (115% of 20)
BACK Merrill back 4/20 after 2, 20 min since (103% of 20)
BACK Tomlin back 4/13 after 5, 47 min since (369% of 13)
MIA availability going into 4/07 · 1 day's restOUT Wiggins missed 5 since 3/29, out tonight
OUT Jović missed 23 since 2/24, out tonight
OUT Jaquez Jr. missed 2 since 4/03, returns tonight: 15 min (74% of 20)
OUT Love missed 8 since 3/23, out tonight
BACK Rozier back 3/29 after 5, 14 min since (53% of 26)
BACK Robinson back 4/03 after 5, 21 min since (89% of 24)
NEW Ware 22 to 28 min over the last 5
NEW Anderson 18 to 24 min over the last 5
NEW Larsson 14 to 30 min over the last 5
MIA availability going into 4/09 · 1 day's restOUT Wiggins missed 6 since 3/29, returns tonight: 27 min (85% of 32)
OUT Jović missed 24 since 2/24, out tonight
OUT Love missed 9 since 3/23, out tonight
BACK Rozier back 4/05 after 2, 4 min since (17% of 26)
BACK Robinson back 4/03 after 5, 23 min since (95% of 24)
BACK Jaquez Jr. back 4/07 after 2, 15 min since (74% of 20)
NEW Ware 22 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Anderson 18 to 25 min over the last 5
NEW Larsson 14 to 30 min over the last 5
MIA availability going into 4/11 · 1 day's restOUT Rozier missed 2 since 4/07, returns tonight: 12 min (46% of 26)
OUT Jović missed 25 since 2/24, out tonight
OUT Love missed 10 since 3/23, out tonight
BACK Wiggins back 4/09 after 6, 27 min since (85% of 32)
BACK Robinson back 4/03 after 5, 21 min since (91% of 24)
BACK Jaquez Jr. back 4/07 after 2, 15 min since (74% of 20)
NEW Ware 22 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Anderson 18 to 25 min over the last 5
NEW Larsson 14 to 30 min over the last 4
MIA availability going into 4/13 · 1 day's restOUT Jović missed 26 since 2/24, out tonight
OUT Larsson missed 2 since 4/09, out tonight
OUT Love missed 11 since 3/23, out tonight
BACK Wiggins back 4/09 after 6, 26 min since (81% of 32)
BACK Rozier back 4/05 after 2, 8 min since (32% of 26)
BACK Robinson back 4/03 after 5, 21 min since (89% of 24)
BACK Jaquez Jr. back 4/07 after 2, 14 min since (71% of 20)
NEW Ware 22 to 28 min over the last 5
NEW Anderson 18 to 25 min over the last 5
MIA availability going into 4/20 · 6 days' restOUT Jović missed 27 since 2/24, returns tonight: 1 min (6% of 25)
OUT Larsson missed 3 since 4/09, returns tonight: 1 min (10% of 14)
OUT Love missed 12 since 3/23, out tonight
BACK Wiggins back 4/09 after 6, 26 min since (81% of 32)
BACK Rozier back 4/05 after 2, 17 min since (66% of 26)
BACK Jaquez Jr. back 4/07 after 2, 23 min since (115% of 20)
NEW Anderson 18 to 26 min over the last 5
MIA availability going into 4/23 · 2 days' restOUT Love missed 13 since 3/23, out tonight
BACK Wiggins back 4/09 after 6, 30 min since (94% of 32)
BACK Rozier back 4/11 after 2, 23 min since (90% of 26)
BACK Jović back 4/20 after 27, 1 min since (6% of 25)
BACK Jaquez Jr. back 4/07 after 2, 18 min since (88% of 20)
BACK Larsson back 4/20 after 3, 1 min since (10% of 14)
MIA availability going into 4/26 · 2 days' restOUT Rozier missed 2 since 4/20, out tonight
OUT Love missed 14 since 3/23, out tonight
BACK Wiggins back 4/09 after 6, 30 min since (93% of 32)
BACK Jović back 4/20 after 27, 13 min since (53% of 25)
BACK Larsson back 4/20 after 3, 6 min since (42% of 14)
MIA availability going into 4/28 · 1 day's restOUT Rozier missed 3 since 4/20, out tonight
OUT Anderson missed 2 since 4/23, returns tonight: 8 min (44% of 18)
OUT Burks missed 2 since 4/23, out tonight
OUT Love missed 15 since 3/23, out tonight
BACK Jović back 4/20 after 27, 15 min since (62% of 25)
BACK Larsson back 4/20 after 3, 10 min since (68% of 14)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 115, shooting 46 percent and 38 from three, 19 free throws a game; Garland at 21 and Jerome at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Mitchell (4 straight), Hunter (2 straight), Jerome (2 straight). 6 days' rest. Miami comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 114, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 16 free throws a game; Adebayo at 24 and Herro at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Jović (27 straight). 6 days' rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Cleveland giving it away 15 times a game to Miami's 11. Call it Cleveland 117, Miami 114, Miami keeping it close.
4/08 vs CHI 135-113 — CLE notes
CLE won 135-113. CLE shot 51% (51 of 100) to CHI's 48%, 25 of 50 from three, and got to the line 13 times to CHI's 19. CLE turned it over 12 times to CHI's 20. Garland led with 28 (10 of 17, 6 of 10 from three); Mobley added 21, Jerome 18. The hinge was Q2, 43-24: a lead of 1 became 20, and the lead reached 27. Strus was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
4/10 @ IND 112-114 — CLE notes
CLE lost 112-114. CLE shot 44% (43 of 98) to IND's 46%, 17 of 37 from three, and got to the line 13 times to IND's 20. Jerome led with 24 (9 of 16, 4 of 6 from three); Hunter added 23, Porter Jr. 16. Q2 was theirs, 33-24, turning a 5-point deficit into a 4-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 90-79 against them. They led by as many as 11. Green's -14 in 22 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/11 @ NYK 108-102 — CLE notes
CLE won 108-102. CLE shot 49% (38 of 77) to NYK's 41%, 11 of 31 from three, and went to the line 30 times to NYK's 20 — 21 points from the stripe to their 14. CLE turned it over 15 times to NYK's 8, and NYK turned those into 11 steals. The glass went 49-35 for them. Garland led with 26 (10 of 17, 1 of 5 from three, 5 of 7 at the line); Strus added 19, Mobley 16. The hinge was Q4, 30-16: CLE came in trailing by 8 and left it ahead by 6. CLE trailed 50-62 at the half and won the second half 58-40. Allen was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
4/13 vs IND 118-126 — CLE notes
CLE lost 118-126 in 2 overtimes. CLE shot 38% (44 of 115) to IND's 40%, 18 of 60 from three. CLE turned it over 21 times to IND's 13, and IND turned those into 15 steals. Tyson led with 31 (12 of 25, 4 of 12 from three); Bates added 25, Tomlin 24. Q2 was theirs, 29-18, but the other 5 periods went 108-89 against them. They led by as many as 27. Thompson's -25 in 43 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/20 vs MIA 121-100 — CLE notes
CLE won 121-100. CLE shot 51% (45 of 88) to MIA's 49%, 18 of 43 from three. CLE turned it over 7 times to MIA's 14. Mitchell led with 30 (11 of 19, 2 of 9 from three, 6 of 7 at the line); Jerome added 28, Garland 27. The hinge was Q4, 34-21: a lead of 8 became 21. Strus was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
4/23 vs MIA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 111, shooting 46 percent and 40 from three, 19 free throws a game; Garland at 27 and Jerome at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. 2 days' rest. Miami comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 114, shooting 51 percent and 40 from three, 16 free throws a game; Herro at 23 and Adebayo at 22 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: Cleveland wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Cleveland 117, Miami 113, Miami keeping it close.
4/26 @ MIA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Miami comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 117, shooting 51 percent and 38 from three, 16 free throws a game; Herro at 26 and Adebayo at 19 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Rozier (2 straight). 2 days' rest. Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 111, shooting 45 percent and 40 from three, 21 free throws a game; Garland at 25 and Jerome at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Cleveland wins, on the road, and the game turns on the line, where Cleveland takes 21 free throws a game to Miami's 16 and the defense, Cleveland allowing 111 a night to Miami's 117. Call it Cleveland 115, Miami 114, Miami keeping it close.
4/28 @ MIA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Miami comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 118, shooting 50 percent and 40 from three, 14 free throws a game; Herro at 22 and Adebayo at 20 a game. That is 4 straight losses. Without Rozier (3 straight), Burks (2 straight), Anderson (2 straight). One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 105, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 22 free throws a game; Garland at 25 and Mitchell at 24 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Cleveland allowing 105 a night to Miami's 118 and the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-7 a night and Miami plus-1. Call it Cleveland 116, Miami 112, Miami keeping it close.
5/04 vs IND — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 102, shooting 48 percent and 40 from three, 21 free throws a game; Mitchell at 24 and Jerome at 16 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Garland (2 straight). 5 days' rest. Indiana comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 110, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 20 free throws a game; Siakam at 20 and Haliburton at 18 a game. Without Isa. Jackson (81 straight). 4 days' rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-6 a night and Indiana minus-2 and the defense, Cleveland allowing 102 a night to Indiana's 110. Call it Cleveland 119, Indiana 111.
4/07 vs PHI 117-105 — MIA notes
MIA won 117-105. MIA shot 51% (45 of 89) to PHI's 43%, 16 of 36 from three, and got to the line 15 times to PHI's 25. Robinson led with 21 (7 of 8, 5 of 6 from three); Herro added 20, Ware 19. The hinge was Q4, 34-22: from level to 12 ahead, and the lead reached 16. Mitchell was the night's best plus/minus at +27.
4/09 @ CHI 111-119 — MIA notes
MIA lost 111-119. MIA shot 48% (44 of 92) to CHI's 52%, 12 of 33 from three. Herro led with 30 (13 of 26, 2 of 7 from three); Adebayo added 18, Mitchell 17. Q1 was theirs, 32-27, but the other 3 periods went 92-79 against them. They led by as many as 11. Wiggins's -16 in 27 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/11 @ NOP 153-104 — MIA notes
MIA won 153-104. MIA shot 56% (58 of 104) to NOP's 40%, 20 of 45 from three. The glass went 60-42 for them. Adebayo led with 23 (8 of 12, 4 of 6 from three); Herro added 22, Robinson 21. The hinge was Q3, 39-18: a lead of 17 became 38, and the lead reached 52. Adebayo was the night's best plus/minus at +46.
4/13 vs WAS 118-119 — MIA notes
MIA lost 118-119. MIA took 8 more shots (98 to 90), but shot 50% to WAS's 51%, 10 of 32 from three. Jaquez Jr. led with 41 (17 of 25, 2 of 6 from three, 5 of 7 at the line); Christopher added 17, Johnson 17. Q4 was theirs, 32-25, the deficit cut from 8 to 1, but the other 3 periods went 94-86 against them. Jaquez Jr.'s -4 in 41 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/20 @ CLE 100-121 — MIA notes
MIA lost 100-121. MIA shot 49% (39 of 80) to CLE's 51%, 13 of 31 from three. MIA turned it over 14 times to CLE's 7, and CLE turned those into 8 steals. Adebayo led with 24 (10 of 22, 1 of 5 from three, 3 of 6 at the line); Herro added 21, D. Mitchell 18. Q3 was theirs, 25-25, but the other 3 periods went 96-75 against them. Wiggins's -22 in 38 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/23 @ CLE — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 111, shooting 46 percent and 40 from three, 19 free throws a game; Garland at 27 and Jerome at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. 2 days' rest. Miami comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 114, shooting 51 percent and 40 from three, 16 free throws a game; Herro at 23 and Adebayo at 22 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: Cleveland wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Cleveland 117, Miami 113, Miami keeping it close.
4/26 vs CLE — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Miami comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 117, shooting 51 percent and 38 from three, 16 free throws a game; Herro at 26 and Adebayo at 19 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Rozier (2 straight). 2 days' rest. Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 111, shooting 45 percent and 40 from three, 21 free throws a game; Garland at 25 and Jerome at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Cleveland wins, on the road, and the game turns on the line, where Cleveland takes 21 free throws a game to Miami's 16 and the defense, Cleveland allowing 111 a night to Miami's 117. Call it Cleveland 115, Miami 114, Miami keeping it close.
4/28 vs CLE — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Miami comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 118, shooting 50 percent and 40 from three, 14 free throws a game; Herro at 22 and Adebayo at 20 a game. That is 4 straight losses. Without Rozier (3 straight), Burks (2 straight), Anderson (2 straight). One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 105, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 22 free throws a game; Garland at 25 and Mitchell at 24 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Cleveland allowing 105 a night to Miami's 118 and the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-7 a night and Miami plus-1. Call it Cleveland 116, Miami 112, Miami keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
CLECP C. Porter Jr.
DG D. Garland
DH D. Hunter
DM D. Mitchell
DW D. Wade
EM E. Mobley
IO I. Okoro
JA J. Allen
JG J. Green
JT J. Tyson
MS M. Strus
SM S. Merrill
TJ T. Jerome
MIAAB A. Burks
AW A. Wiggins
BA B. Adebayo
DR D. Robinson
HH H. Highsmith
JJ J. Jaquez Jr.
KA K. Anderson
KW K. Ware
NJ N. Jović
TH T. Herro
CLE/MIA the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Mitchell, Jerome help Cavaliers rout Heat 121-100 in Game 1 of 1st-round series
CLEVELAND -- — Donovan Mitchell quickly put any doubts to rest about whether his left ankle was 100% going into the playoffs for the Cleveland Cavaliers .
Mitchell scored 30 points and tied a playoff career high with four steals and the Cavaliers beat the Miami Heat 121-100 on Sunday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first-round series.
“He can get in the lane and finish and he's a great shooter. Such a complete player,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. “Whatever we ask him to do, he'll do it. He never shies away when we ask him to do the dirty work.”
It was the seventh straight series where Mitchell has scored at least 30 points in Game 1, tying Michael Jordan, who had two streaks of seven games.
“Just setting the tone. I have to be aggressive and see how the defense reacts to me,” Mitchell said.
Ty Jerome had 16 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter for the top-seeded Cavaliers, who host Game 2 Wednesday night.
Darius Garland added 27. Garland and Jerome each had five 3-pointers and the Cavaliers were 18 of 43 from beyond the arc.
Bam Adebayo had 24 points and Tyler Herro added 21 for the Heat. They are the first No. 10 seed to advance to the playoffs out of the Play-In Tournament.
Cleveland had a 16-point lead midway through the second quarter, but Miami steadily cut it down and got to 98-90 with 7:26 remaining in the fourth. Cleveland put it out reach though with a 13-4 run that included 10 straight points by Jerome, who was taking part in his first playoff game.
Jerome was 6 of 7 from the field, and made all three of his 3-point attempts in the fourth quarter.
“He turned the game for us. He did it all tonight,” Atkinson said.
It is the most points the Cavaliers have scored in a playoff game since they had 128 in Game 4 of the 2018 Eastern Conference semifinals against Toronto.
“We played super hard and competitive. We made some unforced errors, just some decision making that was not elite but they (Miami) had something to do with that. Our decision making has to be on point,” Atkinson said.
It was tied at 22 with three minutes remaining in the first quarter before Cleveland went on a 9-2 run to go up by seven after 12 minutes, a lead it would not relinquish.
“They were a lot more physical than us and that obviously set the tone. We’ve got to clean that up. It’s not going to be any easier," Herro said.