The Cleveland Cavaliers, with the best record in the NBA, secured the first playoff spot of the season after defeating the shorthanded Miami Heat 112-107 at home on Wednesday night.
Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 26 points, along with seven rebounds and five assists, helping the team extend their winning streak to 12 games and improve to 52-10.
After the game, Mitchell emphasized that the team’s goals extend beyond just reaching the playoffs. “It’s an honor, and a sign of our hard work as a group, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t really mean much,” Mitchell said. “It’s great to be in the playoffs, but when I re-signed here, the playoffs weren’t the goal. This is just another step in our journey, and we have a lot more to accomplish.”
Cleveland’s power forward, Evan Mobley, contributed 16 points and 13 rebounds, while guard Darius Garland added 15 points and 10 assists in the win.
Wednesday night’s win marked the third time this season that the Cleveland Cavaliers have won 12 consecutive games, making them only the second team in NBA history to achieve this feat, joining the 2006-07 Dallas Mavericks.
The Miami Heat held a 107-106 lead with under three minutes left in the game, but the Cavaliers finished strong, scoring the final six points to secure the victory.
With the Heat down 110-107, Duncan Robinson had a chance to tie the game with a three-pointer, but he stepped out of bounds while attempting the shot with 17.4 seconds remaining.
Heat center Bam Adebayo led his team with a season-high 34 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists in the loss.
Miami was missing several key players, including All-Star Tyler Herro (head cold), Andrew Wiggins (ankle sprain), Jaime Jacquez Jr. (ankle sprain), Nikola Jovic (broken hand), and Kal’el Ware (knee sprain). The Heat’s record fell to 29-32.
Next, the Cavaliers will play the Charlotte Hornets on the road, while the Heat will host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.