Cleveland Cavaliers Take Convincing 3-0 Series Lead Over Heat

The Cleveland Cavaliers are on the precipice of advancing to the next round of the NBA Playoffs after their 124-87 victory over the Miami Heat in Game 3.

Cleveland now holds a 3-0 series lead against Miami after a convincing victory on Saturday without one of their star players in the lineup.

Darius Garland was a game-time decision with a toe injury but was ruled out shortly before tip-off.

The Cavaliers' point guard has been key to Cleveland's offensive success early in the series, so someone was going to have to step up to make up for his absence.

However, it wasn't just one player who stepped up but the entire team.

Cleveland got off to a slow start on the offensive end of the floor and was down 15-6 early in the first quarter.

Then the Cavaliers went on a run, closing the first 12 minutes on a 27-5 run, and never looked back. Their lead climbed to 40 points in the second half.

The impressive part about this performance was that, yes, Garland was out, but Donovan Mitchell didn't have a standout game either.

Cleveland's star shooting guard only scored 13 points while shooting 28 percent (4-for-14) from the floor.

Apr 26, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) drives to the basket against Miami Heat center Kel'el Ware (7) in the third quarter during game three for the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Jarrett Allen was the Cavaliers' leading scorer, with 22 points, and De'Andre Hunter was directly behind him, with 21 points.

Other key contributors included Evan Mobley, who scored 19 points, Max Strus, who finished with 18, and Ty Jerome, who scored 13 points.

Overall, this was a phenomenal team win for the Cavaliers.

Now, it's time for the Wine and Gold to slam the door on the Heat in Game 4, which will be Monday night.

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