How the Cleveland Cavaliers Claimed a Friday Victory Over the Miami Heat

The Cleveland Cavaliers earned their revenge over the Miami Heat in season-high fashion with a 149-128 victory on Friday.

A battle of the bench stars was highlighted by Max Strus, who looked unstoppable from the 3-point line with eight makes on 11 tries on his way to 29 points.

Miami forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. played captain for the Heat off the bench as he led the squad with 20 points in about 21 minutes of play.

Mar 27, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. (11) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) during the first half at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Center Jarrett Allen returned to the starting lineup after missing the last 10 games with right knee tendonitis.

The long-time Cavaliers anchor struck first for The Land with a hook shot over center Bam Adebayo as he sparked a red-hot starting run that put Cleveland up by double-digits early on. He'd end the bout with 18 points and 10 rebounds as his paint presence proved to be invaluable alongside Evan Mobley.

While Jaquez Jr. and Miami's bench kept it in the fight, four 3-pointers from Strus pushed Cleveland's lead to 13 by the end of the first quarter. The Cavs' 40 points by the end of the first frame would be their highest since a February win over the Washington Wizards and the fourth time they hit the 40-point mark by the end of the first quarter this season.

They barely let their foot off the gas as they cruised out to a season-high 81 points by the end of the first half, beating their 76-point high from the same win over Washington and another in November. While the Heat came out swinging with a 3-point barrage in the third quarter, it wouldn't be enough to make too much of a dent in Cleveland's dominant lead on its way to its fourth win in five games.

The Cavs evened the regular-season score after the Heat last broke Cleveland's 4-game win streak behind a 17-point Wednesday victory on the Cavs' home floor.

All but one of Miami's players ended the night in double figures, while Donovan Mitchell led the way for Cleveland with 28 points. The Friday win continued to stir the pot in the Play-In standings, which saw the Heat enter the night in a dead-even battle with the Charlotte Hornets and Orlando Magic at 14 games behind the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference.

Cleveland will start its final lengthy road trip of the year with a bout against the Utah Jazz. The Cavs last fell to the Jazz in a January matchup that saw former Cavs forward Lauri Markkanen score a combined 60 points alongside guard Keyonte George. The Cavs will move on to two Pacific coast opponents before heading back to Cleveland for a game against the Indiana Pacers, who the Cavaliers pulled out to a 3-0 regular-season lead against with a close win in January.

The Cavs will tip off against the Jazz at 9:00 p.m. EDT on Monday in the Delta Center. The game will be broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network - Ohio.