CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers are back in the NBA playoffs for the third consecutive year, and they’re the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time since 2016, when the franchise won its only championship.
Because of the caliber of team the Cavs have become, they are judged internally and externally by postseason success rather than regular-season accolades. Their real test has begun with Game 1 of Round 1 on Sunday, April 20, against the No. 8 seed Miami Heat.
Tipoff for Cavs (64-18 in the regular season) versus Heat (37-45) occurred shortly after 7 p.m. at Rocket Arena. Check back here for updates throughout the game.
The Heat aren’t going away, but Donovan Mitchell is ensuring Miami doesn’t get within striking distance, either, and Cleveland will take an 87-79 lead into the fourth quarter.
Mitchell hit a 3 in the final minutes of the third quarter and has a game-high 25 points. The Cavs also lead both the turnover battle (10-7) and the rebounding battle (33-28).
The Cavs are up 82-69 over the Heat with 2:47 left in the third quarter.
Donovan Mitchell just had another nifty layup, and he was fired up after hitting it despite the contact. He’s up to 22 points, and his ability to finish at the rim as been elite tonight. Darius Garland has 21 points.
Donovan Mitchell has spurred the Cavs to a run, and Cleveland now leads 76-65 midway through the third quarter.
Mitchell pulled off a move reminiscent of Michael Jordan, as he went up for a dunk, had to change plans in mid-air, switched hands and finished with a layup off the glass. Just before a timeout, Mitchell drew some contact and got the layup to fall for an and-1.
Mitchell is up to 20 points, three rebounds and three assists tonight.
The Cavaliers led the Heat 62-54 at halftime.
The Cavs were ahead by as many as 16 points, but the Heat rallied late in the second quarter.
Guard Donovan Mitchell led the Cavs with 15 points in the first half on 6-of-12 shooting from the field (0 of 5 on 3-pointers), followed by point guard Darius Garland with 12 points.
Guard Tyler Herro led the Heat with 17 points in the first half on 5-of-12 shooting from the field (3 of 6 on 3s). Herro made a 3 over Garland to cut Miami’s lead to eight points with six seconds left in the second quarter.
The Cavs went 24-of-45 shooting from the field (53.3%) in the first half (9 of 21 on 3s, 42.9%). The Heat went 20-of-42 shooting from the floor (47.6%), including 9 of 18 on 3s (50%).
The Cavs outrebounded the Heat 20-17 through two quarters.
Although Cavs forward Evan Mobley scored seven points in the first half, he didn’t grab a rebound.
Center Jarrett Allen had eight points and nine rebounds. He also blocked an attempted dunk by Heat forward Bam Adebayo with 49 seconds left in the second quarter before being called for a foul against Adebayo, who subsequently split a pair of free throws to cut the Cavs’ lead to 62-51 with 40.7 seconds left.
A 3-pointer by Cavs All-Star point guard Darius Garland gave Cleveland a 50-36 lead with 6:14 remaining in the second quarter and prompted a Miami timeout with 6:12 left.
The 14-point cushion is the Cavaliers’ largest lead of the game thus far.
During a drive to the basket, All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell was shaken up with 9:21 left in the second quarter, but he got up and jogged it off. Later, Mitchell produced a three-point play with another driving layup and a successful free throw with 7:44 left.
This is Mitchell’s first game since April 6, when he suffered a left sprained ankle against the Sacramento Kings. However, Mitchell fully participated in practices this past week leading up to the playoffs and wasn’t listed on the injury report entering Game 1.
Still, his health will be worth watching.
In the buildup to the playoffs, Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson emphasized the importance of the rebounding battle. As a team, the Cavs have responded early in their matchup against the Heat.
On Cavs consecutive possessions, offensive rebounds led to a 3-pointer. Guard Ty Jerome grabbed an offensive board on an miss by small forward Isaac Okoro, and Jerome drained a 3 with 11:22 left in the second quarter. Then guard Sam Merrill and Okoro each had an offensive rebound, leading to a 3 by Merrill with 10:18 left in the second quarter.
The Cavs led 45-36 during a Heat timeout with 7:39 left in the first half.
At this stage of the game, the Cavs led the Heat 15-8 in rebounding, including 7-2 on the offensive end of the floor, and 10-3 in second-chance points. Oddly enough, All-Star forward Evan Mobley had zero rebounds.
Led by Evan Mobley, the Cavs surged ahead in the final minutes of the first quarter and will take a 31-24 lead into the second quarter.
Mobley has seven points after the first 12 minutes. And after the Cavs stressed the importance of rebounding all week, it appears as though Jarrett Allen received that message — he had four points and eight rebounds in the opening quarter.
The Heat have woken up, and the Cavs’ lead has been cut to 16-15 midway through the first quarter.
Bam Adebayo is up to six points, and Tyler Herro buried a 3-pointer to close the gap.
The Cavs have come out firing in Game 1 and have opened up a 14-5 lead with 8:30 left in the first quarter.
Max Strus nailed the first shot of the series, a 3-pointer on the game’s first possession, and Jarrett Allen followed that up with an offensive rebound and a put-back layup a few moments later.
Donovan Mitchell later drove the baseline and finished the play with a dunk, and Evan Mobley drained a 3 the next time down the floor.
It’s an ideal start for Cleveland.
Here is some pregame information:
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Cleveland Cavs injury report
The Cavs did not list any players on their injury report. The exclusion of All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell is a good sign for Cleveland. He suffered a sprained left ankle April 6 against the Sacramento Kings and sat out the final four regular-season games, but coach Kenny Atkinson said Mitchell fully participated in practices in the buildup to the playoffs.
The Heat ruled out forward Kevin Love. A Cavs legend, Love has been out because of personal reasons. He hasn’t played since March 21.
The Heat also listed the following five players as available to play: guards Alec Burks (lower back discomfort) and Pelle Larsson (right ankle sprain) and forwards Haywood Highsmith (left Achilles soreness), Nikola Jovic (broken right hand) and Duncan Robinson (left sacroiliac joint dysfunction).
Cavs video: Evan Mobley on his view of upcoming Cavaliers playoffs
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley discusses his view of transferring his offensive improvement with the Cavs to the 2025 NBA playoffs.
Cavs vs Heat series history
In the 2024-25 regular season, the Cavs went 2-1 versus the Heat.
Against the Heat, the Cavs lost 122-113 on Dec. 8 in Miami and won 126-106 on Jan. 29 in Miami and 112-107 on March 5 in Cleveland.
The Cavs are 53-80 in their all-time series with the Heat. The two teams have never previously met in the playoffs.
Cavs vs. Heat predictions: Who wins NBA Eastern Conference first-round series?
Beacon Journal sports writers Ryan Lewis and Nate Ulrich each see the Cavs winning the first-round series. Read more here on why and in how many games.
Cavs playoff schedule
Here are the dates and times for the Cavs’ first-round series:
- Game 1: Heat at Cavs — 7 p.m. Sunday, April 20, TNT/truTV/Max
- Game 2: Heat at Cavs — 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 23, NBA TV
- Game 3: Cavs at Heat — 1 p.m. Saturday, April 26, TNT
- Game 4: Cavs at Heat — TBD time Monday, April 28, TBD TV
- Game 5: Heat at Cavs — TBD time Wednesday, April 30 (if necessary), TBD TV
- Game 6: Cavs at Heat — TBD time Friday, May 2 (if necessary), TBD TV
- Game 7: Heat at Cavs — TBD time Sunday, May 4 (if necessary), TBD TV
NBA playoff bracket: Eastern Conference
Note: If the Cavs advance past the first round, they will face the winner of Pacers versus Bucks in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Cleveland Cavaliers broadcast information. How can I watch on TV, listen on radio or stream Cavs vs Heat in Game 1 of first round?
Game 1 can be watched nationally on TNT and locally on the FanDuel Sports Network. It can be heard on the radio via WMMS (100.7-FM) and WTAM (1100-AM).
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
