Butler scored 23 points, Adebayo added 18 points and 11 rebounds, and the Miami Heat prevailed against the Cleveland Cavaliers 100-97 on Tuesday night.
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The Miami Heat defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 100-97 on Tuesday night with the help of Jimmy Butler’s 23 points, 18 points from Bam Adebayo, and 11 rebounds from Bam. For the Heat, who drew within 1 1/2 games of the Cavaliers in fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings, Caleb Martin scored 18 points and equaled his career-best with 10 rebounds. Tyler Herro added 18 points as well.
With 1:23 remaining, Butler, who had been hindered by ailments for much of the season, made a short jump shot to give the Heat a 98-93 lead. With 12 seconds left, his free throw maintained the Heat’s five-point lead. However, with 8.7 seconds left, Darius Garland made a 3-pointer to bring the Cavaliers to within 99-97.
With 7.3 seconds remaining, the Cavaliers fouled Butler. He missed his free throws, giving Cleveland a chance to equalize, but Donovan Mitchell, the All-Star starter, missed his 3-point attempt at the buzzer. For the Cavaliers, who fell to 21-6 at home, Evan Mobley scored 19 points, Mitchell had 16, and Jarrett Allen added 14 points and 11 rebounds. Together, Mitchell and Darius Garland made 4 out of 19 threes.
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The Heat soon knotted the game at 89-89 when Herro scored six points in a space of 26 seconds after Cleveland had held Miami scoreless for the opening 4:59 of the fourth. After trailing by nine points in the third, the Cavaliers went on a 9-2 run to end the period, which was capped by Mitchell’s slanting 3-pointer at the buzzer to level the score at 79 going into the fourth.
The Cavaliers, the NBA’s top-ranked defensive club, came out prepared to make life difficult for the Heat offensively. Miami struggled to respond in the opening minutes, making just 2 of 10 shots from the field and committing 5 turnovers in that time.
Watch the match highlights below.
Miami Heat: When the teams’ rosters are revealed on Thursday, Butler, and Adebayo are most likely to be chosen for the All-Star reserves. Adebayo has just once been picked whereas Butler has been an All-Star six times. Adebayo has double-digit goals in 63 straight games going back to last season, including all 47 of his current campaign’s games. In franchise history, only Alonzo Mourning, Dwyane Wade, and LeBron James have had longer streaks. C Omer Yurtseven was just given the all-clear to make contact after missing this season’s games due to ankle surgery.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Kevin Love missed his fourth straight game due to back spasms. Earlier this month, Mobley was selected to participate in the 2023 Jordan Rising Stars during All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City. He has received an invitation to the event twice in a row.
