CLEVELAND โ Any concerns about Donovan Mitchellโs left ankle were swiftly dispelled as he delivered an electrifying performance for the Cleveland Cavaliers in their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat. Mitchell notched 30 points and matched his career playoff high with four steals, leading the Cavaliers to a decisive 121-100 victory on Sunday night in Game 1.
Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson commended Mitchellโs versatility and prowess on the court. โHe can penetrate the lane, finish strong, and is an excellent shooter,โ Atkinson lauded. โHeโs a complete player who takes on any role we give him, never hesitating to do the tough work when necessary.โ
Mitchellโs scoring feat marked the seventh consecutive series where he has achieved 30 or more points in Game 1, equaling Michael Jordanโs remarkable two streaks of seven games each. โI just wanted to set the pace,โ Mitchell explained. โBeing aggressive and analyzing how the defense responds is crucial.โ
Ty Jerome made a significant impact off the bench, contributing 16 of his total 28 points during the fourth quarter. As the top-seeded Cavaliers prepare to host Game 2 on Wednesday night, Darius Garland also added 27 points, with both Garland and Jerome hitting five 3-pointers apiece. The Cavaliers shot an impressive 18 of 43 from beyond the arc.
Bam Adebayo led the charge for the Heat with 24 points, while Tyler Herro chipped in 21. Notably, the Heat became the first No. 10 seed to make it to the playoffs through the Play-In Tournament. Despite trailing by 16 points in the second quarter, Miami narrowed the gap to 98-90 with 7:26 left in the fourth quarter. However, the Cavaliers sealed the game with a decisive 13-4 run, fueled by 10 consecutive points from Jerome, who showed no signs of playoff inexperience.
Jerome showcased remarkable accuracy by shooting 6 of 7 from the field and sinking all three of his 3-point attempts in the final quarter. โHe transformed the game for us,โ Atkinson noted. โHis performance tonight was outstanding.โ
Sundayโs game marked the highest playoff scoring output for the Cavaliers since their 128-point achievement in Game 4 of the 2018 Eastern Conference semifinals against Toronto.
Reflecting on their performance, Atkinson acknowledged room for improvement. โWe played with immense effort and competitiveness,โ he said. โThere were some decision-making errors on our part, influenced by Miamiโs play. Moving forward, our decisions must be more precise.โ
The Cavaliers asserted their dominance early, breaking a 22-all tie with a 9-2 run to lead by seven points after the first quarter. โTheir physical play set the tone, and we need to address that,โ Herro commented. โIt wonโt get any easier from here on.โ