Donovan Mitchell silenced any concerns about his ankle with a 30-point performance as the Cleveland Cavaliers rolled past the Miami Heat 121-100 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round series on Sunday night.
Mitchell matched his playoff career high with four steals and tied Michael Jordan’s record by scoring 30 or more points in his seventh straight Game 1 appearance.
Cleveland, the East’s top seed, never trailed after a late first-quarter surge and used a balanced offensive attack to keep Miami at bay.
Ty Jerome delivered a breakout performance with 28 points off the bench, scoring 16 in the fourth quarter to help close out the game.
Darius Garland added 27 points and hit five 3-pointers, matching Jerome from beyond the arc as the Cavaliers finished 18-for-43 from deep.
The Cavaliers’ 121 points marked their highest playoff output since a 128-point showing against Toronto in 2018.
Miami, the No. 10 seed and the first team from that position to advance out of the Play-In Tournament, was within eight with just over seven minutes remaining.
Cleveland responded with a 13-4 run, capped by 10 consecutive points from Jerome in a span of just over two minutes.
Jerome shot 10-for-15 from the field and 5-for-8 from three in his first career postseason game.
Bam Adebayo led Miami with 24 points and nine rebounds, while Tyler Herro chipped in 21 on 7-of-18 shooting.
Davion Mitchell contributed 18 points and nine assists off the bench, but the Heat struggled defensively, allowing Cleveland to shoot 51.1% overall.
The Cavaliers also dominated on the glass, outrebounding Miami 42-37 and scoring 14 second-chance points.
Jarrett Allen added a double-double for Cleveland with 12 points and 11 boards, while Evan Mobley anchored the defense with seven rebounds and a steal.
Mitchell, who had missed time in March due to ankle soreness, played 33 minutes and shot 11-for-19 from the floor.
The Cavaliers took control with a 9-2 run to end the first quarter and maintained at least a two-possession lead the rest of the way.
Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday night in Cleveland as the Cavaliers aim to take a 2-0 series lead.
