By Staff Reporter
The Cleveland Cavaliers have punched their ticket to the NBA playoffs with a hard-fought 112-107 victory over the Miami Heat, thanks to 26 points from Donovan Mitchell.
A see-saw battle in Cleveland on Wednesday saw the Heat threaten to end the Cavs’ 11-game unbeaten streak after opening up a seven-point lead late in the fourth quarter, but the Cavs clawed back the deficit in the closing minutes to seal their 12th straight victory and a place in the postseason.
The Cavaliers improved their record to 52 wins and 10 losses, maintaining their stranglehold on the Eastern Conference with 20 games of the regular season remaining.
Mitchell was one of six Cleveland players to finish in double figures against a short-handed Miami team missing Andrew Wiggins, Kel’el Ware and Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Evan Mobley backed Mitchell with 16 points and 13 rebounds while Darius Garland finished with 15 points and 10 assists. Bam Adebayo led Miami’s scorers with a game-high 34 points.
The victory though was too close for comfort for Cleveland talisman Mitchell.
“It took a collective effort as a group but we locked down and got stops – but we’ve got to be better,” Mitchell said. “It’s always good to learn through a win though.”
Mitchell played down the significance of Cleveland becoming the first team to reach the postseason.
“It’s definitely a blessing and a sign of our hard work, but it doesn’t really mean much,” Mitchell said. “I’m happy we were able to do it for the crowd, but we’ve got a lot more to accomplish.”
