National Basketball Association
Miami 107, Cleveland 104
When: 7:00 PM ET, Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Where: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, Ohio
Officials:
#35 Jason Goldenberg, #19 James Capers, #53 John Butler
Attendance:
19432
By Field Level Media
Terry Rozier scored seven of his 24 points down the stretch, including on a step-back 3-pointer with 14.5 seconds remaining in regulation, which proved to be the game-winner for the visiting Miami Heat in their 107-104 defeat of the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday.
Miami, which came in having last beaten a team with a record above .500 on Feb. 26, led most of the way against a Cleveland team that entered the night third in the Eastern Conference.
The Heat (38-31) could not gain much separation, however, pushing their advantage to 11 points at its peak. Playing without Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Max Strus, the Cavaliers (43-26) rallied to take a fourth-quarter lead behind Georges Niang's 10 points in the period.
Niang was one of five Cleveland scorers in double figures, finishing with 18 points. Jarrett Allen recorded his 34th double-double of the season and first 20-plus-point, 20-plus-rebound double-double since Dec. 27 with a team-high 25 points and 20 boards.
Niang's final two points came on a pair of free throws with 1:34 remaining, giving the Cavaliers a four-point lead, but Rozier immediately negated the edge when Isaac Okoro fouled Rozier on a made 3-point attempt.
Rozier converted the four-point play to tie it at 100-100, then Miami forced a shot-clock violation on the ensuing Cleveland possession to set up the game-winning basket.
Rozier shot 5-of-6 from 3-point range. Jimmy Butler, who scored a game-high 30 points, went 2-of-4 from beyond the arc and 11-of-19 from the floor overall.
Butler also had four steals. Patty Mills, who scored 10 points, added two steals. Nikola Jovic shot 4-of-10 from 3-point distance on his way to 14 points for Miami.
Caris LeVert recorded his third double-double in the past five games with 16 points and 12 assists in the loss. Darius Garland shot 5-of-12 from 3-point range en route to 20 points, while Sam Merrill went 4-of-9 beyond the arc for all 12 of his points off the bench.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
Miami |
|
Cleveland |
Jimmy Butler 30 |
Scoring |
Jarrett Allen 25 |
Jimmy Butler 5 |
Assists |
Caris LeVert 12 |
Thomas Bryant 10 |
Rebounds |
Jarrett Allen 20 |
Jimmy Butler 6 |
Free Throws Made |
Caris LeVert 7 |
Jimmy Butler 4 |
Steals |
Caris LeVert 2 |
Thomas Bryant 1 |
Blocks |
Caris LeVert 1 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Miami
|
107 |
45.8 |
13-36 |
18-19 |
19 |
37 |
2 |
7 |
8 |
Cleveland
|
104 |
46.7 |
15-42 |
19-22 |
30 |
37 |
2 |
3 |
12 |
Upcoming Games
-
Cleveland will play their next game on the road against Minnesota. The Cavaliers have a W/L % of .581 after a win and .692 after a loss.
-
Miami will play their next game at home against New Orleans. The Heat have a W/L % of .568 after a win and .531 after a loss.