Cavs Top 3: Donovan Mitchell can’t lead ailing Cavaliers over Heat in rematch

The Cleveland Cavaliers couldn’t pull off a second straight win over the Miami Heat despite Donovan Mitchell’s big game.

The Cleveland Cavaliers handled the Miami Heat on Wednesday, but couldn’t duplicate the success on Friday. The Cavs were down Darius Garland and saw Jarrett Allen take a shot to the eye that limited him for the rest of the game. He left the game about midway through the fourth quarter after incidental contact from Heat center Bam Adebayo.

Allen is a game-time decision against the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday. Allen’s absence wasn’t the only one that was felt, as Darius Garland missed the game due to a quad injury. Garland joins Allen as day-to-day and may or may not be available for Sunday’s game versus the Hornets.

Despite missing two big pieces, the Cavs still brought it to the Heat and were even leading in the final frame of action, thanks in part to Donovan Mitchell’s game-high 42 points. The Heat, however, outscored the Cavs by 11 in the final frame, allowing the Heat to pull off a 119-115 comeback win over the Cavs.

The Cavs, to their credit, played very solid defense most of the game. Heat star Jimmy Butler just refused to miss. The Heat outside of Butler shot just 45% from the floor, but with him, the team shot over 51%. While guys like Adebayo and Tyler Herro are gonna get their shots, seeing players like Max Strus hit four of seven three-pointers off the bench didn’t help.

Especially when two of them came in the fourth quarter. Butler’s late-game heroics was clearly contagious, and the Cavs did their best to counter-act it. Sadly, they just didn’t have the depth to on this night.

Cleveland Cavaliers Top 3 vs. the Miami Heat

1 Point – Lamar Stevens

25 minutes, 8 points, 5 rebounds, +2 BPM

2 Points – Jarrett Allen

34 minutes, 6 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 4blocks +8 BPM

3 Points – Donovan Mitchell

43 minutes, 42 minutes, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, +1 BPM

Cavs Top 3 Seasonal Standings

1. Darius Garland – 81 Points
2. Donovan Mitchell –76 Points
3. Evan Mobley – 56 points
4. Jarrett Allen – 49 points
5. Cedi Osman –  37 points
6. Caris LeVert – 21 Points
7. Isaac Okoro & Kevin Love – 20 Points
8. Raul Neto & Dean Wade – 4 Points
9. Lamar Stevens & Ricky Rubio – 3 points