Cavaliers Use Historic Three-Point Shooting Night To Hold Off Heat In Game 2

Despite a fierce surge from the Miami Heat in the second half, the Cleveland Cavaliers held on for a 121-112 win to take a 2-0 series lead

Apr 20, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) celebrates after making a three-point basket in the fourth quarter at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

Any talk of the Miami Heat giving the Cleveland Cavaliers a challenging first-round series was largely put to bed on Wednesday night.

The Heat gave the top-seeded Cavaliers their best shot, flipping a 19-point first half lead into a two-point game with under five minutes to play. When Cleveland needed a play, though, they got it in the closing moments, hanging on for a 121-112 win to take a commanding series lead as it shifts to Miami.

Miami had a moment in the first quarter, as Erik Spoelstra's team, expectedly, threw the first punch, jumping out to a 16-7 lead through the first six minutes of play.

Cleveland weathered the early storm, though. Fresh off a 28-point masterpiece in Game 1, reserve guard Ty Jerome did the honors of giving the Cavs their first lead of the game with an and-one floater with about 1:16 to play in the quarter.

It was a fitting way for the first stanza to come to a close, as the wine and gold took a one-point lead into the break, up 25-24.

The Cavs real counterpunch came just minutes later, when Evan Mobley opened up the second quarter with a 25-foot three to ignite the crowd in Rocket Arena.

De'Andre Hunter followed suit, knocking down two long-range shots in a row to build Cleveland's lead to nine. Then came the kill shot.

Sam Merrill tipped a Bam Adebayo pass intended for Tyler Herro and raced to the other end of the floor. With only Herro in front of him and dropping to defend the basket, Merrill pulled up and drained the Cavs fourth-straight three.

The barrage promoted a Miami timeout and fake snow began shooting from the rafters rained of Rocket Arena.

The Heat had just been Cavalanched. It was the beginning of the end for any hopes they had of evening the series up at one game apiece.

The Cavs made 11 threes in that quarter, the most in a single quarter in the postseason in franchise history. It was also the most by any team in any postseason quarter in the play-by-play era (1997-98).

That second quarter felt like enough of a buffer to keep the Heat in the rearview mirror for the remainder of the game. Miami had other plans in the second half and slowed down the pace, while taking of Cleveland's regression back to the mean form deep.

Cleveland proceeded to make just two threes in the third quarter. Another four in the fourth – all of them from Donovan Mitchell. At the six-minute mark of the final period, the Cavs had scored just seven points as the Heat made a valiant run to cut the lead to two.

When the Cavaliers needed some scoring, though, their star player rose to the occasion. The final few minutes of the game became Mitchell's stage. The All-Star guard scored 10 of Cleveland's final 20 points, including 10 of the team's 12 points scored from 4:02-1:52 in the fourth.

Mitchell played closer as the game's biggest stars are expected to do in these moments.

His takeover highlighted one of the many major differences between these two first-round opponents. Miami is a collection of respected NBA talents, mixed into a championship pedigree better known as "Heat Culture" and sprinkled with an all-time coach.

That concoction gets them pretty far this time of year. But the Cavaliers have a bonafide star in Mitchell. And with a flick of the wrist in the game's waning moments, he can magically lift his team to victory.

Mitchell did just that on Wednesday night and despite Miami's best efforts, this series has largely felt like a matchup between the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference and an eight seed that had to scratch and claw its way through a play-in tournament just to be here.