Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Ty Jerome kept the Miami Heat on guard throughout Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ three-man backcourt rotation combined to score 85 points in a 121-100 home victory Sunday — 27 of them in the fourth quarter to turn an eight-point lead into a decisive triumph.
The Heat knew how dangerous All-Stars Mitchell and Garland were, along with backup Jerome, but were unable to hold them down. Miami’s players recognize that things must be different in Game 2 on Wednesday night.
“You’ve been seeing them all season. You understand what it is, what they do,” Heat power forward Bam Adebayo said, visibly frustrated. “They make smart plays. They try to make the right play every possession, so we can’t have defensive lapses on any possession.”
The top-seeded Cavaliers went inside and outside to force mistakes. Mitchell attacked aggressively and made 9 of 10 shots within the arc, while Garland and Jerome buried 10 of 17 3-point attempts.
Center Jarrett Allen effectively rolled to the hoop in a 12-point, 11-rebound outing, but Sixth Man of the Year finalist Jerome was the difference maker with 16 points in the final period of his postseason debut.
“I’ve got great teammates, a great coaching staff, great fans behind me,” said Jerome, whose 28 total points tied for the second most off the bench in franchise playoff history. “We did what we had to. We came out here in Game 1 and defended home court in front of these phenomenal fans.”
Perhaps the most worrisome aspect of the Heat’s loss was how many offensive off-nights Cleveland overcame from other players.
All-Star power forward Evan Mobley was a non-factor with nine points and seven rebounds, while top bench scorer De’Andre Hunter didn’t have a point in 16 minutes. Reserves not named Jerome missed 12 of their 14 field-goal attempts.
The Cavaliers, who averaged a league-best 121.9 points in the regular season, also didn’t move the ball especially well with 21 assists on 45 baskets. They relied on other aspects of the game to earn their 65th victory in 83 contests under first-year coach Kenny Atkinson.
“We set the tone with our physicality,” Garland said. “We were really physical attacking people when they were cutting through, rebounding really well, getting to the foul line a little bit. It was great.”
As is typically the case, the face of the franchise set the tone.
Mitchell matched his career high with four steals, highlighted by a strip of Adebayo that prompted him to flex his muscles to the crowd, and later shoved Miami’s Duncan Robinson when he lingered above Sam Merrill after fouling him.
“It’s the playoffs and that’s ultimately what it is, the little things,” Mitchell said. “The 30 (points) is cool, that’s what I’m known for. But to me, it’s the steals, boxing out, diving on loose balls that’s going to take us to the next level.”
Adebayo led Miami in Game 1 with 24 points and nine rebounds. Tyler Herro had 21 points and Davion Mitchell scored 18 points off the bench.
Rookie Kel’el Ware struggled in his playoff debut, which fell on his 21st birthday. He had two points, three rebounds and two steals in 19-plus minutes.
“This is the life of a young player,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Ware. “You’re being fed through a fire hose and he’s important to what we do. He’ll get to work. That’s the thing I really respect about Kel’el. And the areas that he’s gotten a lot better, we’re going to need in this series.”
Heat power forward Kevin Love, a member of the 2016 NBA champion Cavaliers, remains away from the team for personal reasons. Miami on Tuesday ruled out point guard and Northeast Ohio native Terry Rozier, who sprained his left ankle Monday during an optional workout at Cleveland State.
