Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) fouls Miami Warmth ahead Nikola Jovic (5) in the course of the first half in Sport 4 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff sequence, Monday, April 28, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photograph/Rhona Smart)
MIAMI — Cleveland moved into Spherical 2 with essentially the most lopsided sequence win in NBA playoff historical past.
Donovan Mitchell scored 22 factors, De’Andre Hunter added 19 and the Cavaliers led by as many as 60 factors earlier than beating the Miami Warmth 138-83 on Monday night time to comb their Japanese Convention first-round sequence in 4 video games.
Ty Jerome had 18 factors, Evan Mobley added 17 and Jarrett Allen had 14 factors, 12 rebounds and 6 steals for the Cavaliers. Cleveland received the sequence by a mixed 122 factors, yet one more than the earlier document for sequence margin set by Denver over New Orleans in 2009.
READ: NBA: Cavs hand Warmth worst-ever playoff loss for 3-0 benefit
THE @cavs ADVANCE TO THE EAST SEMIS ‼️‼️
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“We got here out right here with a purpose in thoughts,” Mitchell stated.
The 55-point margin in Sport 4 was the fourth-biggest playoff win ever. The document is 58 factors, finished twice: Minneapolis over St. Louis in 1956 and Denver over New Orleans in 2009. The Los Angeles Lakers beat Golden State by 56 factors in 1973.
Nikola Jovic led the Warmth with 24 factors. Ban Adebayo scored 13, whereas Pelle Larsson and Andrew Wiggins every added 12 for Miami.
“Rattling, it was humbling. This sequence was humbling. These final two video games have been embarrassing,” Warmth coach Erik Spoelstra stated. “However Cleveland’s additionally an excellent group. … They confirmed us why we weren’t prepared for that.”
Cleveland will play both Indiana or Milwaukee within the Japanese Convention semifinals. The Pacers lead that sequence 3-1; no matter whether or not the Pacers or Bucks advance, Sport 1 of that sequence could be in Cleveland and never performed till Saturday on the earliest.
“I’m all the time an enormous fan of relaxation,” Mitchell stated.
READ: NBA: Cavaliers trip 3-point barrage to a different win over Warmth
That is the third occasion of Miami being swept in a best-of-seven sequence. The others: in opposition to Chicago in 2007 and in opposition to Milwaukee in 2021, each of these within the first spherical and each additionally ending on the Warmth residence flooring.
It was over quick. Cleveland — which used a 33-5 early run to blow Sport 3 open — led 43-14 late within the first quarter earlier than Davion Mitchell beat the buzzer with a 3-pointer. The 26-point margin matched the worst quarter in Warmth playoff historical past; it was the second-best margin for any quarter in Cavs playoff historical past.
And the lead solely stored rising.
It appeared each bit like a 64-win group that led the East wire-to-wire going up in opposition to a Tenth-place finisher that wanted to win two play-in video games simply to get into the event.
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“We got here down right here with the appropriate mentality and once more, our maturity, our management, all that stuff we’ve been speaking about all 12 months,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson stated. “We don’t appear to have letdowns. That’s uncommon.”
Cleveland’s lead was 39 — 72-33 — on the half, the third-largest lead after two quarters in NBA playoff historical past. The one halftime leads greater than that: Cleveland by 41 over Boston on Could 19, 2017 and Detroit by 40 over Washington on April 26, 1987.
