Overview
- Cleveland overwhelmed Miami 149-128 on Friday, as Max Strus hit eight threes for 29 points and Jarrett Allen scored 18 in his first game back.
- Allen had missed 10 games with right knee tendinitis and played under a mid-20s minutes limit, which coach Kenny Atkinson said would restore rim protection.
- The two-game set flipped after Miami’s 120-103 win on Wednesday, when the Heat ended a five-game slide behind a reworked first unit.
- Erik Spoelstra said the Heat will stick with Davion Mitchell, Tyler Herro, Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins and Bam Adebayo as the preferred starters, with Pelle Larsson moving to a heavy-minute bench role.
- The loss dropped Miami into 10th in the East, while Cleveland held a top-four slot as it builds chemistry between James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and a now-returned Allen before the playoffs.