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National Basketball Association
Miami 119, Cleveland 115
When: 8:00 PM ET, Friday, March 10, 2023
Where: Kaseya Center, Miami, Florida
Officials: #58 Josh Tiven, #77 Karl Lane, #32 Marat Kogut
Attendance: 19757

Jimmy Butler scored 12 of his team-high 33 points in the fourth quarter to help rally the Miami Heat past the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers, 119-115, Friday night.

Butler shot 12 of 16 from the field while Tyler Herro drained 5 of 7 from 3-point range and finished with 25 points for Miami, which overcame a 14-point third-quarter deficit to earn a split of the two-game series in South Florida.

Donovan Mitchell finished with 42 points in 42 minutes for his ninth game of at least 40 points this season.

Mitchell hit the first of two free throws with 5.6 seconds left to draw Cleveland within two, 117-115. Mitchell intentionally missed the second and Butler knocked down two free throws with 4.2 seconds remaining. Mitchell's 26-foot 3-point attempt was long off the back of the rim as time expired.

Adding to Cleveland's pain was the loss of big man Jarrett Allen with just under four minutes remaining. Allen was struck in the face as Miami's Bam Adebayo attempted to swat the ball off the rim. Allen held a towel to his eyes as he was escorted to the locker room.

Mitchell almost single-handedly kept the Cavaliers in the game in the first half. Mitchell hit 6 of 8 shots from beyond the arc and 9 of 12 overall from the field, leading Cleveland with 25 points.

Mitchell's step-back straightaway trey with 2.8 seconds left in the second quarter gave Cleveland its biggest lead of the first half, 59-50, heading into halftime.

Ricky Rubio connected on a corner 3-pointer with 4:18 left in the third to cap a 9-0 run, putting Cleveland ahead, 81-67, their biggest lead.

Herro's spot-up trey on the fast break with 8:44 left in the fourth gave Miami its first lead since midway through the second quarter. Two Adebayo free throws 15 seconds later capped a 10-0 run and put Miami ahead, 95-91.

Adebayo finished with 19 points and has scored in double figures in all 63 of his games played this season. Dating back to last season, Adebayo's streak is 79 games, breaking a tie with Dwyane Wade for fourth longest in Miami history.

Darius Garland, who led Cleveland with 25 points in a 104-100 win over the Heat on Wednesday, missed Friday's game with a thigh contusion.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Cleveland   Miami
Donovan Mitchell 42 Scoring Jimmy Butler 33
Ricky Rubio 8 Assists Bam Adebayo 4
Jarrett Allen 13 Rebounds Tyler Herro 9
Donovan Mitchell 4 Free Throws Made Jimmy Butler 8
Isaac Okoro 2 Steals Bam Adebayo 3
Jarrett Allen 4 Blocks Jimmy Butler 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Cleveland 115 46.5 18-43 17-21 25 34 6 5 11
Miami 119 51.2 14-29 21-23 22 46 4 7 16
Upcoming Games
  • Miami will play their next game on the road against Orlando. The Heat have a W/L % of .472 after a win and .594 after a loss.
  • Cleveland will play their next game on the road against Charlotte. The Cavaliers have a W/L % of .595 after a win and .630 after a loss.