CLEVELAND, OH--- In a game where the Cavs would struggle for it what seemed to be the whole game, they would fall short to the visiting Miami Heat 107-104. The Cavs had some peaks, especially in the first quarter, firing back at the Heat who was hot right out of the gate, making 5 of their 8 3 point attempts early. The Cavs would end the first quarter on a 11-2 run with 2 straight Sam Merrill 3 pointers assisted by Marcus Morris Sr. Merrill would finish with 12 points after making 4 of his 9 3 pointers attempted.
The Cavs were in trouble in the first half due to players, and JB Bickerstaff not liking the officiating, racking up 3 technical fouls in the first half, Darius Garland and Georges Niang were the culprits of the fouls. The Cavs were playing catch-up all first half and throughout the game, but Caris LeVert stepped up big time with 12 first half points, finishing with 16 on the night along with 12 assists and a 4 for 9 night from the field. Another big time contributor was Jarrett Allen, and to no one's surprise, he would record another double double, but he would achieve this in the first half with 14 points and 10 rebounds, those 2 would help the Cavs close out the first half on a 7-0 run, still trailing the Heat 61-57.
Allen would continue to dominate, finishing with a 20-20 game, 25 points and 20 rebounds while only missing 3 shots from the field, going 10 for 13. It was Jimmy Butler and Shaker height's own Terry Rozier making sure the Cavs would not catch up as Butler would finish with 30 points and Rozier put on a 4th quarter show in front of his friends and family. The Cavs would put up a good fight late, taking a one point lead with around 3 and a half minutes to go at 95-94 thanks to a Georges Niang lay up, he would finish with 18 points. Rozier wasn't going to leave his hometown without putting on a show. Rozier would score 10 4th quarter points, including a key 4 point play after he was fouled on a 3 pointer with 1 and a half minutes to go to tie the game at 100. Butler would then give the Heat a 102-100 lead, Jarrett Allen tied it with a dunk, then Rozier hit the dagger with 14.5 seconds left, another 3 pointer and that would end the game. Rozier would finish with 24 points, making 5 of his 6 3 pointers attempted, and 8 of his 16 shots from the field.
The Cavs are back on the road, facing the Timberwolves in Minnesota Friday night, tip-off is set for 8:00 pm.