Cavaliers annihilate Heat, poised on the verge of NBA playoff sweep victory
Rewritten Article:
The Cleveland Cavaliers pounded the Miami Heat 124-87 in game three of their Eastern Conference playoff series, dealing Miami the worst playoff loss in their franchise's history. The Cavaliers now stand on the precipice of a playoff sweep, a daunting prospect for the Heat as no NBA team has ever managed a comeback from a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series.
Top-seeded Cavs took to the court without All-Star guard Darius Garland and held their ground, leaving Miami struggling to capitalize. The series shifted to Miami following the Heat's defeats in the opening games in Cleveland.
Jarrett Allen led the way with 22 points, while D'Andre Hunter contributed 21 points off the bench. Six Cavaliers finished with double-digit scores.
The Heat, aware of the insurmountable odds of mounting a comeback, raced to an early lead, leading by nine midway through the first quarter. However, the Cavaliers weathered the initial storm and ended the first quarter with a 13-point lead, a margin that never dipped below double digits for the remainder of the match.
Evan Mobley, newly crowned Defensive Player of the Year, added 19 points to the Cavaliers' tally. He commented, "We just came out with energy. We took the first punch and from there we took control and played harder than them."
Bam Adebayo was the Heat's leading scorer with 22 points, and Davion Mitchell chipped in with 16 points. Yet, the 37-point margin of defeat was Miami's worst post-season loss, surpassing a 36-point loss to the San Antonio Spurs in game three of the 2013 NBA Finals - a defeat the Heat would eventually overcome to claim the title.
The Cavaliers will have the opportunity to clinch the series on Monday.
In the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder aim to complete a sweep of the Grizzlies in Memphis after rallying from a 29-point first-half deficit in game three. The Grizzlies, without star Ja Morant, who suffered a hip contusion in the second quarter of game two, will try to stave off elimination.
Los Angeles hosts the Denver Nuggets as the Clippers aim to replicate their game three blowout and extend their 2-1 series lead. The Golden State Warriors hoped for the return of Jimmy Butler, who suffered a "deep glute muscle contusion," but coach Steve Kerr expressed cautious optimism about his availability for the game against the Houston Rockets.
- Despite being without All-Star guard Darius Garland, the AI-backed Cavaliers managed to hold their ground against the Heat, leaving Miami struggling to capitalize.
- The margin between the Cavaliers and Heat grew as the game progressed, with the Cavs ending the first quarter with a 13-point lead, a margin that never dipped below double digits.
- While Bam Adebayo led the Heat with 22 points, and Cavs' center Evan Mobley added 19 points, the Cavaliers' overall success on the court was evident, with six players finishing with double-digit scores.
- The Heat, without star player Ja Morant, will face the Memphis Grizzlies in their next game, aiming to stave off elimination in a similar fashion to how the Cavaliers withstood the initial storm in game three of their series against the Heat.
