Any concerns about Donovan Mitchell’s health heading into the postseason were quickly put to rest Sunday night, as the Cleveland Cavaliers star erupted for 30 points and tied a playoff career high with four steals in a 121-100 rout of the Miami Heat in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.
Mitchell, who had been nursing a left ankle injury down the stretch of the regular season, showed no signs of discomfort as he spearheaded the Cavaliers’ dominant performance. The outing marked his seventh consecutive Game 1 with at least 30 points, tying a record held by none other than Michael Jordan, who accomplished the feat twice.
“Any time you’re mentioned with Michael Jordan, it’s surreal,” Mitchell said. “But more than anything, I just wanted to come out and set the tone. This is the playoffs — there’s no room for hesitations.”
Cleveland’s backcourt was sensational from the start. Darius Garland added 27 points and knocked down five of the Cavaliers’ 18 three-pointers, while Ty Jerome came off the bench and delivered a massive fourth-quarter performance in his postseason debut. Jerome scored 16 of his 28 points in the final frame, going 6-of-7 from the field and hitting all three of his 3-point attempts during that stretch.
“I’ve waited a long time for this moment,” said Jerome. “To be able to contribute in that way and help us seal a win in front of this crowd — it was special.”
The Cavaliers, the East’s top seed, shot 18-of-43 from beyond the arc and held off a late Miami push that briefly cut their lead to eight with 7:26 left in the fourth quarter. But Cleveland responded with a 13-4 run, including 10 straight points from Jerome, effectively putting the game out of reach.
Bam Adebayo led the Heat with 24 points and Tyler Herro added 21, but Miami couldn’t keep pace with Cleveland’s firepower. The Heat, making history as the first No. 10 seed to advance through the Play-In Tournament, found themselves in an early hole — and never recovered.
Cleveland took control late in the first quarter with a 9-2 run to close the frame, turning a tie at 22 into a seven-point lead after 12 minutes. The Cavaliers never trailed again, building a 16-point advantage midway through the second quarter before Miami battled back to make things interesting in the second half.
Still, it was Cleveland’s night, as the 121 points marked the franchise’s highest postseason output since their 128-point explosion against the Toronto Raptors in Game 4 of the 2018 Eastern Conference semifinals.
With momentum firmly in their favor, the Cavaliers will look to take a commanding 2-0 series lead when they host the Heat again on Wednesday night.
