MIAMI — The series turned to South Beach, but the “Cavalanche” followed, and the Cavaliers destroyed the Miami Heat in Game 3, 124-87, to take a 3-0 series lead. They’ll go for the sweep on Monday night, April 28.
After opening a 2-0 series lead in Cleveland, the Cavaliers made a statement in Game 3, playing without Darius Garland, who missed the game with a sprained toe. The Cavs came away with a win in Game 2 but also left the arena with a lesson learned, one they put to the test after a slow start in the first quarter of Game 3.
Tip-off between the Cavs and Heat occurred shortly after 1 p.m. Here’s how Game 3 unfolded in Miami.
Cavs dominate Heat in Game 3, take 3-0 series lead
The score at one point was Heat 15-6. The Cavs ended up winning 124-87. They didn’t need Darius Garland, and they basically didn’t need Donovan Mitchell, either. This was a shellacking.
The Cavs will be up 3-0 in the series in a few minutes. They’re up 108-79 with 5:25 left. In a game the Heat had to win, and without Darius Garland, the Cavs have simply throttled Miami. It’s been a pure dismantling.
The Cavs are cruising to a 3-0 series lead, as they’ll take an 88-64 lead into the fourth quarter. And they’re doing it without Darius Garland or Donovan Mitchell on the top of his game. None of it has mattered, as the Heat offense has been only a quiet flicker.
Ty Jerome is again taking control of a playoff game. He has seven points in the last few minutes, including a ridiculously deep 3-pointer and two layups through contact in which he flexed to the Cleveland bench. He now has 11 points and eight assists off the bench.
The Cavs are holding a 79-59 lead late in the third quarter.
It must be noted that the Cavs have scored only two points in more than four minutes of play since the Browns selected Shedeur Sanders. That must be the connection.
Cleveland’s lead over the Heat is 65-49 with 7:53 left in the third.
The Cavs are taking it to Miami in Game 3, and the home Heat fans are booing as both teams leave the floor with Cleveland up 62-42 at halftime.
The Cavs had a tremendous defensive first half, with several possessions for Miami winding down without any passing lanes open.
Offensively, Jarrett Allen reserved one of his best halves all season, with 16 points on 7-for-7 shooting, including four dunks. De’Andre Hunter also has 16 points, tying Allen for the team high.
Donovan Mitchell has been quiet with only six points, but the Cavs haven’t really needed his scoring production so far. Evan Mobley and Max Strus both have nine points. Near the end of the quarter, Mobley, who just won Defensive Player of the Year, came up with a block and then a hook shot at the other end.
Hunter and Ty Jerome both have +/- of at least plus-25, which isn’t easy to put together in only 24 minutes of basketball. Jerome, specifically, is plus-27 in only 11:26 on the court.
Without Garland, and already up 2-0 while playing on the road, that was a bit of a statement half by the Cavs.
The Cavs, playing without All-Star Darius Garland, are running the Heat out of their own building and after a Jarrett Allen alley-oop dunk are up 50-32 with 4:55 left in the second quarter.
Jarrett Allen and De’Andre Hunter have a combined 24 points on a combined 9-for-10 shooting from the floor. Max Strus has nine points on three 3s against his former team. Ty Jerome already has seven assists along with four points off the bench.
The Heat are actually 7-for-14 from 3-point range, but almost nothing else has fallen for Miami.
The Cavs hit two 3s to open the second quarter, extending the current run to 33-5, before Bam Adebayo finally hit a shot for Miami.
Cleveland’s lead is up to 39-26. After that slow start, the Cavs have just buried Miami. De’Andre Hunter is also already in double digits with 10 points, along with Jarrett Allen.
After the fourth quarter of Game 2, the Cavs talked about wanting to respond to missed shots in a better fashion. That task can be checked off the list.
After starting 2-for-10 from the floor, the Cavs finished 11-for-14 en route to a 27-5 run to finish the quarter, and they lead the Heat 33-20 after the opening 12 minutes.
It was a clear-cut reversal from the first few minutes, when the Heat opened up a 15-6 lead. The Cavs looked lethargic and then simply caught fire from there. They also put together that 33-point quarter with only one point from Donovan Mitchell.
After a slow start, the Cavs responded with an 18-0 run to take a 24-15 lead.
The scoring run was capped by a dunk from De’Andre Hunter. Jarrett Allen is already up to 10 points and five rebounds.
The Cavs quickly went on a run out of a timeout, and they’ve come back to tie it 15-15 with 5:05 left in the first quarter.
Jarrett Allen has been a focal point inside thus far, as he’s got a game-high eight points. Ty Jerome and De’Andre Hunter both came off the bench and almost immediately scored. It was largely following the normal minutes rotation, but it was also a nicely-timed shakeup of the lineup after a sluggish start.
The Cavs offense looks out of sorts to begin Game 3, and the Heat have jumped out to a 12-4 lead.
Jarrett Allen has hit both of his attempts from the floor and has four points. The Cavs outside of Allen are a collective 0-for-8 from the floor, including Donovan Mitchell, who is 0-for-4.
Below is some pregame information.
Cavs guard Darius Garland has been trading jabs with Miami’s Tyler Herro, but he won’t be available to back it up on the court for Saturday’s Game 3.
Garland has been ruled out for Game 3 with a big toe sprain. The injury is somewhat connected to the one that cost Garland some time during the regular season. The Cavs believe it happened sometime during the fourth quarter of Game 2. Garland was not seen on the court during the Cavs’ warm-up before Game 3.
Guard Sam Merrill will enter the starting lineup in Garland’s absence.
“I think it was the end of the fourth quarter. I don’t know exactly the play,” said coach Kenny Atkinson. “I do know it was towards the fourth quarter and we were even considering taking him out. But I looked at him and he said, I’m good and he stayed in the game, but we were at the point, where do we take him out? So I don’t know. I know a lot of us probably played basketball, that having a big toe, that’s not a fun one to deal with just from a pain perspective. So yeah, he re-aggravated it. It’s unfortunate. That’s about as much I can say about it.”
Cleveland Cavaliers win Games 1 and 2 vs Miami Heat; Looking back at how Cavs playoffs started
Here is our coverage from Game 1 in Cleveland:
Here is our coverage from Game 2 in Cleveland:
Evan Mobley wins NBA Defensive Player of the Year
Cavs forward Evan Mobley became the first player in franchise history to be named NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
Cleveland Cavaliers 2025 NBA playoff schedule
Here are the dates and times for the Cavs’ first-round series:
- Game 1: Cavs 121, Heat 100, Sunday, April 20
- Game 2: Heat at Cavs — Cavs 121, Heat 112, Wednesday, April 23
- 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 were to advance past the first round, they would face the winner of Pacers versus Bucks in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Cleveland Cavs vs. Miami 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.
Cavaliers broadcast information. How can I watch on TV, listen on radio or stream Cavs vs Heat in Game 3 of first round?
Game 3 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).
