Darius Garland and the Cleveland Cavaliers (38-28) took on Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat (45-23) in part of the NBA Friday slate. It was the Heat who came out on top with 117-105 being the final score.
No team in the Eastern Conference has a better record than the Heat this season. Miami has now won eight of their last 10 games as they attempt to outpace the Milwaukee Bucks, who are riding a six-game winning streak.
Jimmy Butler was questionable to play in this game but he ended up playing. He finished with 24 points, four rebounds, and five assists. It was Bam Adebayo who led the way with 30 points and 17 rebounds.
There was no shortage of key contributors for the Heat. The bench stepped up in a major way as Tyler Herro (22) and Max Strus (17) combined for 39 points.
LATEST NBA NEWS: Latest NBA Rumors Surrounding Soon-To-Be Free Agents
Garland was coming off a 41-point outing and is in the midst of a season that earned him his first All-Star appearance. He sorely struggled from the floor (4-17 FG) but went 15-16 from the free throw line en route to 24 points overall.
Overall, it was a struggle for the Cavaliers to get much going offensively, which wasn’t too much of a surprise considering Caris LeVert, Collin Sexton, and Jarrett Allen are all sidelined with injuries. It wasn’t nearly enough to compete with this Miami Heat team.
Both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat have a lot to play for in order to maximize their outlook in the Eastern Conference standings ahead of the 2022 NBA playoffs. Right now, the Cavs are struggling amid injuries.
Related Stories on Latest NBA Injury News, Trade Rumors & Analysis
WHY WESTBROOK NEEDS BUYOUT: The expectations were significant for the Los Angeles Lakers after the addition of Russell Westbrook was finalized using a trade with the Washington Wizards. With LeBron James and Anthony Davis at the helm, the bar was set at winning an NBA title or bust. READ MORE
KYRIE EARLY LANDING SPOTS: The 2021-22 NBA season has been a strange one for Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets, to say the least. It still remains as such given he is still ineligible to play in home games and would not even be able to play in a road matchup with the Toronto Raptors in the play-in tournament. READ MORE
