The Miami Heat got smoked by Ty Jerome and the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1, but they should be more prepared for the East’s top seed ahead of Game 2 on Wednesday night.
There are plenty of adjustments to be made. If you’ve missed our coverage and analysis, you can catch up here.
- Three Heat players who need to step up
- Defensive adjustments
- Davion Mitchell’s role
- Tyler Herro’s adjustments
Here’s what to know for Wednesday night’s tilt.
How to watch Heat at Cavaliers
Time: 7:30 pm ET
Location: Rocket Arena, Cleveland
TV: NBATV, FanDuel Sports Network
Stream: Fubo
Notable injuries
The Heat will have everyone but Terry Rozier (ankle) and Kevin Love (personal reasons) available.
The Cavaliers are also healthy.
Quick scout
The Cavaliers shot 42% on 43 3-point attempts in Game 1. The Heat can’t let them shoot like that in Game 2 and need to narrow the margin from beyond the arc after getting outscored by 15 from deep.
Cleaning up the turnovers (14 to Cleveland’s seven) and rebounding (14 offensive rebounds for the Cavs) will help the Heat win the possession battle after losing it 88-80 in Game 1.
Key matchups
Tyler Herro vs Cavs offense: The Cavs spent most of Game 1 targeting Herro by having his man pull him into the action, get the switch, and then have a big set a screen for the ball-handler. As Herro told reporters in Cleveland, having to fight through those switches and big-man screens wore him down physically. Miami needs to find ways to help Herro avoid such a defensive burden.
Donovan Mitchell vs Davion Mitchell: If coach Erik Spoelstra makes a starting lineup change, Davion Mitchell will draw the immediate assignment on Donovan Mitchell. Davion should help pressure Cleveland’s top playmaker and might even help create some turnovers.
Kel’el Ware vs Jarrett Allen: Miami’s rookie center struggled in his first playoff game. He totaled just two points and three rebounds while the Heat were outscored by 12 in his 20 minutes. The Cavaliers frontcourt is big, strong and experienced. Ware shouldn’t be expected to match them, but he can’t get outplayed as bad as he did in Game 1.
Betting
The Heat are 11.5-point underdogs on the road.