The Miami Heat couldn’t keep their winning streak alive, falling short to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night.
Since LeBron James returned home, his former team has proven to be a small thorn in his side, one he can’t seem to shake.
That wasn’t the running narrative following Tuesday’s matchup.
Winners of three in a row, the Miami Heat were riding the second-longest winning streak in the Eastern Conference, behind the red-hot Cleveland Cavaliers. But when the two teams met at Quicken Loans Arena, the Cavaliers were looking to make a statement, and they did.
Despite 21 points and seven assists from Dion Waiters, and a career-high 19 points from rookie Bam Adebayo, the Heat came up short in Cleveland, falling 108-97.
Josh Richardson tallied 15 points and Hassan Whiteside recorded 11 points and 14 rebounds, for a Miami team that now stands at .500. Kevin Love commanded the reigns for Cleveland, scoring 32 of his 38 points in the first half, as Cleveland finished at 49 percent shooting as a group. Despite losing James (21 points, 12 rebounds) to an ejection for the first time in his career, Love was able to bully the Miami defense, finishing 10-for-16 from the field.
Former Heat guard Dwyane Wade scored 17 points off the bench, continuing to flourish in the role of backup point guard.
Right from the opening tip, it was clear the Cavaliers were in control offensively.
By the 7:40 mark in the first period, Love had already tallied 10 points and bolstered Cleveland to a 14-4 lead.
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra believed that there was no doubt that the game slipped away in the early minutes.
"“It started right from the beginning,” Spoelstra said. “We were playing on our heels and they felt like a different than us — tonight. It’s tonight, they’re a better basketball team than us.”"
Miami’s fortunes didn’t fare much better the rest of the way, with Love totaling 22 of the Cavaliers’ 35 first quarter points, compared to 24 total for the Heat. Waiters was Miami’s leading man in the first, recording 13 points to keep the Heat within striking distance.
With Cleveland’s early run aside, the Heat were able to pull within six, following two free throws from Adebayo during the opening minutes of the second quarter. Cleveland would then respond with a 7-0 run, giving them a 45-32 advantage less than two minutes later.
Cleveland’s offensive onslaught did not end there, and by the end of the second period, the Heat were down 75-49, surrendering the most points in a half to a player since Tracy McGrady and Lafayette Lever each recorded 32.
Miami’s fortunes began to flip during the third period, as they outscored the Cavaliers 25-18 in the period. With 1:59 remaining in the third, James was hit with two technical fouls after going after referee Ken Fitzgerald, following a non-call on Waiters and James Johnson.
It was the first time he’d been thrown out in 1,082 career games.
With that aside, Richardson was Miami’s bright spot, recording seven points in the quarter as the Heat went into the final quarter down 93-74.
The Cavs were again outscored in the fourth as Miami retained a 23-15 edge. By then, however, it was too little, too late. Cleveland’s 40-point second quarter was a season-high for the Heat, whom headed into tonight’s matchup boasting a top-10 defensive rating.
Whiteside said that while Love’s performance was impressive, it was an offensive system that did not catch him by surprise.
"“It’s not nothing I’ve never seen before. I’ve seen it against Al Horford in Boston,” Whiteside said. “He got a couple of free throws early and they try to bait you to go help on LeBron.”"
Next: The Miami Heat prepare to see Dwyane Wade in another uniform
The Heat (10-10) will travel northeast for a matchup with the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden, on Wednesday at 7:30 PM ET.