Cavaliers down Heat 112-107, clinch first playoff spot

Heat Cavaliers — The shorthanded Miami Heat could not muster up enough late against the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. (Mandatory Credit: Sue Ogrocki/AP Photo)

The Cleveland Cavaliers became the first to clinch a playoff spot Wednesday night against the shorthanded Miami Heat, winning 112-107.

The Heat were down three starters–Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware and Andrew Wiggins–due to injury, but they were still able to scrap and claw their way to a competitive charge against the best team in the NBA.

The Cavaliers, winners of now 12 straight, persevered down the stretch, outscoring the Heat 12-2 in the game’s final 4:13.

Led by Bam Adebayo, Miami shot 43.4 percent from the floor and 36.1 percent from deep with 22 free-throw makes. Wednesday was one of Adebayo’s most complete games of the season, scoring 34 points with 12 rebounds, five assists and two steals on 11-of-18 shooting and 3-of-5 from 3-point range.

Duncan Robinson followed suit with 14 points and three rebounds on 5-of-10 shooting with four triples; Haywood Highsmith had 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting while Kevin Love had 10 points and six boards in his return to Cleveland, where he received a video tribute in the first quarter.

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One of the biggest conundrums all season reared its ugly head again Wednesday: Terry Rozier led all players with 40 minutes played. He scored just 12 points on 3-of-14 shooting with incredibly questionable decision-making and deflating mistakes that gave Cleveland momentum down the stretch.

He’s also shooting 26 percent from 3-point range since the start of the new year and had as many turnovers (4) as he did field goal makes (3) in Wednesday’s loss.

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It’s been a bizarre development over the course of the season and one continues to become more indefensible than it already is. Erik Spoelstra is one of the best coaches in the NBA and was a huge reason why the beleaguered Heat were competitive Wednesday–but this is not without question.

Donovan Mitchell tallied a team-high 26 points on 8-of-17 shooting for the Cavaliers. Darius Garland dished out a game-high 10 assists while scoring 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting; De’Andre Hunter and Evan Mobley had 16 points apiece while Max Strus had 11 points on 3-of-7 from deep against his former team.

Once again, the Heat drop back to three games below .500 as the No. 7 seed in the East. They return home Friday for a five-game homestand, beginning with the Minnesota Timberwolves.