Miami Heat-Cleveland Cavaliers Preview: Who Will Win Battle Of Short-Handed Squads?
The Miami Heat (37-31) conclude their four-game road trip against the Cleveland Cavaliers (43-25) on Wednesday night.
Both teams are heavily affected by injuries. Duncan Robinson (back), Tyler Herro (foot) and Kevin Love (foot) are all out for Miami, while Jimmy Butler (foot) and Nikola Jovic (hamstring) are questionable to play.
Injuries have sidelined Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley for the Cavs.
The Heat came up short against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, 98-91. Bam Adebayo finished with 20 points, 13 rebounds and six assists while Terry Rozier added 20 points. With the loss, Miami fell to No. 8 in the Eastern Conference with 14 games remaining.
Caris LeVert led the way in Cleveland's 108-103 win against the Indiana Pacers on Monday, posting 23 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds. Jarrett Allen tallied 23 points and nine rebounds.
Previous Matchups
Wednesday is the third of four Heat-Cavs games this season.
Game 1 was a blowout, as the Heat won 129-96 in Cleveland.
Kyle Lowry, now a member of the Sixers, led Miami with a season-high 28 points. The Heat’s next top-four scorers came off the bench, as Jaime Jaquez Jr. (22 points), Josh Richardson (14), Orlando Robinson (14) and Caleb Martin (14) all stepped up. Adebayo was out with an injury while Butler was held to 10 points (3 of 12 from the field).
Not much went right for the Cavs, who were without Mitchell due to injury during the 33-point loss. Their leading scorer was Craig Porter (16 points), an undrafted rookie from Wichita State. Porter is on a two-way contract and has played just 17 minutes combined over his last three games.
In Game 2, a healthy Mitchell led the Cavs to a 111-99 win in Miami. The star shooting guard had 27 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. Darius Garland added 18 points.
Lowry and Richardson led Miami with 17 points each. Duncan Robinson played his worst game of the season. In 23 minutes, the Heat swingman posted a -25 plus/minus, shot 0 of 7 from the field and finished with six turnovers.
Opposing Players to Watch
Without arguably their two best players (Mitchell, Mobley), the Cavs will lean heavily on Garland and Allen.
Garland is the catalyst of the Cleveland offense. The starting point guard is averaging 18.7 points and 6.3 assists while shooting 45.4 percent and 37.6 percent from three. The 2022 All-Star has struggled recently, scoring 13 and 12 points in his last two games while shooting a combined 2 of 15 from the arc.
Allen is the defensive anchor. An All-Star in 2022, the 25-year-old center boasts a 108.8 defensive rating (4th in NBA). On the offensive end, Allen averages 16.2 points and 10.6 rebounds (9th) while shooting 62.6 percent (6th).
Key Matchup
Jarrett Allen vs. Bam Adebayo
This battle of All-Star big men will be fun to watch, as both Allen and Adebayo assert themselves on both ends of the court.
This is the first time they will face off this season as Adebayo missed the previous two games with injuries.
Adebayo is averaging 19.9 points, 10.6 rebounds (10th) and 4.0 assists while shooting 51.7 percent. The 26-year-old has channeled his inner Steph Curry recently, draining his last 5 3-pointers.
Allen’s defensive prowess is more rim-centric, so Adebayo may be able to use his elite quickness and developing outside shot to his advantage.
Nick Crandell is a staff contributor at Inside the Heat.
He can be reached at nick.crandell33@gmail.com or follow him on Instagram @nickcrandell
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