The Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers face off Wednesday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland at 7:30 PM ET. Both teams are managing key absences.
Miami will be without Vladislav Goldin, Trevor Keels, Terry Rozier, and Jahmir Young. Andrew Wiggins and Nikola Jovic are listed as available, managing toe and back issues respectively.
Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, and Norman Powell remain central to the Heat’s offense, averaging 20.3, 21.4, and 22.3 points per game.
Cleveland’s injury report lists Jarrett Allen, Craig Porter Jr., Olivier Sarr, Max Strus, and Jaylon Tyson out, with Larry Nance Jr. questionable due to illness.
The Cavaliers rely on Donovan Mitchell and James Harden as primary scorers, averaging 28.3 and 21.2 points per game.
The teams split their season series, with the Heat winning an overtime thriller 140-138 in Miami and the Cavaliers taking a 130-116 victory two days later.
Recent form differs sharply. Miami has lost back-to-back games, including a 136-111 home defeat to San Antonio, while Cleveland is riding a two-game winning streak after defeating Orlando 136-131.
Both teams are still in playoff contention, with Miami sitting 10th in the Eastern Conference at 38-34 and Cleveland 4th at 45-27. The Heat need a win to strengthen their seeding chances, while the Cavaliers aim to maintain momentum in the upper half of the standings.
