The Miami Heat handed the Cleveland Cavaliers their fourth loss of the season in their last meeting in Miami. On Wednesday, the short-handed Heat will look to deal the Cavaliers their fourth loss in the last five games as they reconvene in Florida.
In their December 8 matchup, Tyler Herro scored 34 points, Duncan Robinson added 23, and Jimmy Butler contributed 18 as Miami secured a 122-113 victory over Cleveland. However, Butler will not be available for this game and potentially ever again for the Heat, as he has been suspended by the club for the third time in a month for conduct detrimental to the team. His indefinite suspension is expected to extend beyond the NBA’s trade deadline on February 6.
Herro has been the hero for the Heat in their recent games, scoring 25 points and dishing out eight assists in a 106-97 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday, and following that up with 30 points and a season-high 12 assists in a 125-119 double-overtime victory against the Orlando Magic on Monday. Bam Adebayo also shone on Monday, making 10 of 15 shots and contributing 26 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists, falling just one assist short of a triple-double.
The Cavaliers have had a successful season, winning 33 of their first 37 games. However, they lost five of their next eight games, including a season-high three-game losing streak, before securing a 110-91 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Monday. Darius Garland scored 22 points and Donovan Mitchell added 21 as Cleveland’s strong defense helped improve their home record to 22-3. The Cavaliers held the Pistons to a season-low 91 points on 38.5 percent shooting from the floor and 27.8 percent from 3-point range.
Mitchell, who leads the team with an average of 23.7 points per game, will aim to bounce back from his 5-for-16 shooting performance in the previous matchup against the Heat.
