Heat vs Cavs: Game 2 Playoff Preview

The Cleveland Cavaliers gave the Miami Heat everything they could handle in Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs, taking a 121-100 victory at Rocket Arena.  

Ty Jerome scored 28 points off the beach, shooting 5 for 8 from deep. 16 of those points came in the fourth quarter alone. 

The All-Star backcourt of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland added 30 and 27 points, respectively.  

On Miami’s side, Bam Adebayo led the way for the Heat with 24 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists. Tyler Herro scored 21 points off 7 of 18 shooting from the field. 

https://twitter.com/nbastats/status/1914136579909820665

Overwhelming Effort

Cleveland bothered Miami in the paint all night. As a team, the Cavs out rebounded the Heat 42 to 37. 

The length of Mobley and Allen also shook up 7’1 rookie Kel’el Ware, who was held to only 2 points and only 2 rebounds. 

Adebayo, the two-time gold medalist, fought the length with his mid-range shooting. He shot 45.5% from the field, but could only do so much as Cleveland went on a 13-4 run after the Heat cut it the deficit to eight midway through the fourth quarter. 

Bam was a steady force tonight, leading the team in points, rebounds & steals pic.twitter.com/Fu4yirawpD

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) April 21, 2025

Mitchell on Mitchell

Donovan Mitchell vs Davion Mitchell is a fun matchup. Cleveland’s backcourt outscored Miami’s 57-27. If Miami wants to find ways to limit the Cavs All-Star duo, it needs to start with “Off Night” Mitchell. 

The trio between Mitchell, Garland and Jerome targeted Tyler Herro on 36 possessions, combining for 29 points. 

The Heat’s Mitchell, who helped anchor their defense in the play-in by limiting Coby White and Trae Young, could be an option to start instead of Alec Burks. Making the switch would help Miami take off some of the defensive pressure off Herro early and get him in transition to find his offensive groove on the other side of the ball. 

Up Next

If Miami wants to tie the series tonight, it will take a high-level performance from Herro. Erik Spoelstra will almost certainly make adjustments to limit the Cavs backcourt starting with Mitchell. On the other hand, Cleveland will look to continue out-hustling Miami and force them into another 14 turnovers which hurt the Heat in Game 1.

Game 2 is set to tip off at 7:30 p.m. on NBA TV. The series then shifts to Miami on Saturday for Game’s 3 and 4.