NBA: Jimmy Butler leads Heat to narrow win over Cavs
Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat shoots a layup during the first half against the Golden State Warriors at FTX Arena on November 1, 2022 in Miami, Florida. Eric Espada/Getty Images/AFP
Jimmy Butler scored a game-high 23 points to pace four scorers in double figures as the visiting Miami Heat beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 100-97 on Tuesday night.
Caleb Martin, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro each added 18 points for Miami, which is now 1-1 on a four-game road trip. Adebayo grabbed 11 rebounds and Martin hauled in 10 for the Heat, who won for the fourth time in five games.
Jimmy got going early in this one and kept coming up big for us over and over again, leading all scorers with 23 points 🔥 pic.twitter.com/yO2SjSkGWo
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) February 1, 2023
Donovan Mitchell’s fadeaway 3-pointer fell short as time expired to allow Miami to escape with the win.
Evan Mobley led Cleveland with 19 points while Jarrett Allen had 14 points and 11 rebounds. Mitchell and Darius Garland each scored 16 points for the Cavaliers, who haven’t won back-to-back games since Jan. 2-4, when they defeated the Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns.
Cleveland had just two turnovers in the first half before committing six in the third quarter. Miami capitalized on the mistakes and got six points from both Herro and Kyle Lowry in the period, and also went on an 11-2 run for a 77-68 lead.
Adebayo missed a pair of free throws with four seconds left in the third, allowing Mitchell to convert a 3-pointer at the buzzer. The Cavaliers closed the frame on an 11-2 run for a 79-79 tie heading into the fourth quarter.
Miami’s offensive struggles continued into the final stanza, as it scored just two points over the first five-plus minutes.
Cleveland led 85-81 before Herro converted a four-point play to tie the game again. Herro’s four-point play ignited an 11-2 run that was capped by Gabe Vincent’s triple with 4:41 remaining in the fourth.
Mitchell made one of two free throws to give Cleveland its last lead, 93-92, with 2:58 remaining. But Adebayo converted a 7-foot jumper 20 seconds later to give the Heat the lead for good.
Garland hit a 3-pointer off an inbound pass on the right wing to cut Miami’s lead to 99-97 with 8.7 seconds remaining. Butler made one of two free throws, giving Cleveland the chance to tie.
