Miami Heat at Cleveland Cavaliers
· National Basketball Association
Max Strus makes eight 3s scores 29, Jarrett Allen returns as Cavs roll to 149-128 win over Heat
Strus made six of his eight 3-pointers in a 22-point first half as the Cavs bolted to a 35-point lead. He made one just ahead of the halftime horn to put Cleveland ahead 81-46 and cap the team's highest scoring half this season.
The Cavs bounced back from a 120-103 loss to the Heat on Wednesday with a strong performance and matched the team record for points in a regulation game.
Allen's return provided a major spark. He missed 10 games with tendinitis in his knee. The 27-year-old's absence especially hurt on defense and deprived him time to build chemistry with star guard James Harden, whose acquisition at the trade deadline has raised title hopes.
Harden finished with 17 points and 14 assists, his most with Cleveland. Donovan Mitchell scored just six on 1 of 10 shooting.
Down by 36, the Heat fought back and got within 101-82 on a 3-pointer by Jamie Jaquez Jr. But Cleveland regrouped and Keon Ellis drilled a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Cavaliers a comfortable 109-87 lead entering the fourth.
Jaquez scored 20 points to pace the Heat. Bam Adebayo added 14 and 16 rebounds.
The loss dropped Miami from a three-way tie for the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference into 10th, behind Orlando and Charlotte, which were idle.
Strus, who was playing in just his sixth game after foot surgery, made an immediate impact by making four 3-pointers in the last 4:37 of the first quarter to help the Cavs open a double-digit lead.
Cavaliers: At Utah Jazz on Monday.
Regular Season Series
Series tied 2-2
Recent Plays
| 4th 0.0 |  |
End of Game | 128 - 149 |
| 4th 0.0 | |
End of the 4th Quarter | 128 - 149 |
| 4th 10.7 |  |
Myron Gardner makes 1-foot two point shot | 128 - 149 |
| 4th 20.0 |  |
Cavaliers delay of game violation | 126 - 149 |
| 4th 20.0 | |
Olivier Sarr makes free throw 2 of 2 | 126 - 149 |
Statistics
 MIA |
 CLE |
|
|---|---|---|
| 40-91 | FG | 52-97 |
| 44 | Field Goal % | 54 |
| 15-46 | 3PT | 19-41 |
| 33 | Three Point % | 46 |
| 33-38 | FT | 26-31 |
| 87 | Free Throw % | 84 |
| 45 | Rebounds | 46 |
| 11 | Offensive Rebounds | 7 |
| 34 | Defensive Rebounds | 39 |
| 25 | Assists | 38 |
| 5 | Steals | 9 |
| 4 | Blocks | 1 |
| 13 | Turnovers | 9 |
| 0 | Team Turnovers | 1 |
| 13 | Total Turnovers | 10 |
| 1 | Technical Fouls | 1 |
| 1 | Total Technical Fouls | 1 |
| 2 | Flagrant Fouls | 1 |
| 17 | Points Conceded Off Turnovers | 17 |
| 17 | Fast Break Points | 20 |
| 46 | Points in Paint | 52 |
| 22 | Fouls | 26 |
| 0 | Largest Lead | 36 |
| 0 | Lead Changes | 0 |
| 0 | Percent Led | 99 |
Cleveland Cavaliers Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Dennis Schroder, G | Out | May 26 |
Miami Heat Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Tyler Herro, G | Out | Apr 27 |
| Bam Adebayo, C | Out | Apr 14 |
| Dru Smith, G | Out | Apr 13 |
| Nikola Jovic, F | Out | Apr 13 |
Game Information
Location: Cleveland, OH
Attendance: 19,432 · Capacity:
2025-26 Southeast Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Atlanta |
46 | 36 | .561 | - | L1 |
 Orlando |
45 | 37 | .549 | 1 | L1 |
 Charlotte |
44 | 38 | .537 | 2 | W1 |
 Miami |
43 | 39 | .524 | 3 | W2 |
 Washington |
17 | 65 | .207 | 29 | L10 |
Detroit
Milwaukee
Chicago
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