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Heat beat Cavs in Game 1

Originally posted on thePeachBasket | By Eric Labrador | Last updated Mar 26, 2026 12:46 AM ET

The Heat beat the Cavs tonight. Friday night’s game will be another story. Tonight, the Heat jumped on the Cavs and didn’t let them catch any air. Norman Powell and Tyler Herro were reunited in the lineup and weren’t a liability on defense as they were in Milwaukee. Kel’el Ware actually asserted himself on the glass and for one night, all the Heat fans in the world exhaled.

Key Sequence

From the first quarter, the Heat jumped out to a lead. Then, they had a 17 point lead at the half. Cleveland made a run in the third quarter to tie the game at 83. For all intents, it looked as if the Heat were going to step back from the push.

The Cavs were down 97-95 in the fourth. All of the sudden, they went cold and the Heat didn’t. Five minutes later with 2:08 left in the game, the Heat were up 12. Cleveland played Orlando last night and scored 136 points to win the game. That fact didn’t guarantee a Heat victory as they played and lost to the Lakers and Rockets last week.

Game activity

Eight out of the nine Heat players scored in double figures. Kel’el Ware had a double-double, Jaime Jaquez had five assists and Pelle Larsson went to the foul line seven times. Dennis Schroeder scored four points and Evan Mobley scored eight points. So, one could say that the Cavaliers will be ready to play on Friday since they were tired today.

Cleveland is firmly entrenched in the fourth seed in the Eastern conference. The Cavs have defensive issues as Coach Kenny Atkinson called out the team’s approach vs. the presence of Jarrett Allen (out with injury.) They played better tonight according to Coach Atkinson in his post-game press conference.

The Cavs are an “offensive-first team” as Jackson Flickinger (Fear the Sword fan site) posted after the game. They might beat the Heat on Friday but they won’t last very long in the playoffs against Detroit, Boston or New York. The Heat are in the eighth seed in the East as of tonight. Luck might have it, that the Heat get the eighth, upset the Pistons and face Cleveland in the second round.

This article first appeared on thePeachBasket and was syndicated with permission.

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