The Cleveland Cavaliers extended their winning streak to 12 games with a 112-107 victory over the short-handed Miami Heat on Wednesday night.
Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 26 points, while Darius Garland dished out 10 assists to help the team improve to an NBA-best 52-10 record.
With the win, the Cavaliers became the first team to clinch a playoff berth this season.
Miami, playing without several key players, held a 107-106 lead with 2:55 remaining but failed to score the rest of the way. Duncan Robinson’s potential game-tying three-pointer with 17.4 seconds left was waved off after he stepped out of bounds.
Bam Adebayo carried the offensive load for the Heat, scoring a season-high 34 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in 38 minutes. He shot 11-of-18 from the field and made all nine of his free throws.
The Heat played without leading scorer Tyler Herro, who was ruled out with an illness. Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic, Kel’el Ware, and Andrew Wiggins also missed the game due to injuries.
Evan Mobley and De’Andre Hunter each contributed 16 points for Cleveland, while Max Strus added 11 against his former team.
Despite Miami’s limited roster, the game remained competitive until the final moments. Mitchell committed two turnovers in the closing minutes, but Cleveland’s defense tightened up, holding the Heat scoreless in the last 2:55.
Miami dropped to 29-32 and remains in the thick of the Eastern Conference play-in race.
