Ty Jerome lifts Cavs over Heat in Game 1

Miami didn’t have an answer for Jerome.

The Cleveland Cavaliers took care of business as they outlasted the Miami Heat 121-100 in Game 1. Miami made the Cleveland play nearly a full 48 minutes, but they couldn’t do enough to bridge the talent gap on Sunday night.

The Heat withstood the Cavs' initial 14-5 run out of the gates to briefly take a two-point lead midway through the first. Darius Garland responded with four quick points to give the Cavs the lead again. They ended up finishing the quarter on an 11-5 run to take a seven-point lead into the second quarter.

The Cavs started to create separation in the second. They pushed their lead to 16, but it didn’t last. The Heat closed the half on a 9-2 run to make it an eight-point game at the break.

Miami kept it a game for most of the second half. Every time it seemed like the Cavs were going to pull away, the Heat had an answer. Their impressive three-point shooting, defensive physicality, and offensive rebounding kept them in the game. However, they simply weren’t able to keep up with the Cavs’ high-octane offense.

Timely shotmaking was able to keep Miami at arm’s length all evening. That shotmaking eventually put them away in the fourth thanks to Ty Jerome.

Jerome was unstoppable down the stretch. Miami couldn’t take away his floater, and when they tried to lay back in the lane, he hit pull-up threes over the defense.

This resulted in Jerome scoring 16 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter. He went 6-7 from the field with three triples and three helpers in the final frame.

Garland officially put the game away when he hit a 32-foot pull-up three to give Cleveland an 18-point lead with just over three minutes left.

The Heat were able to stay in this game with the Cavs due to their three-point shooting. They went 13-31 (41.9%) from threes. It’s an encouraging sign that the Cavs were able to win as comfortably as they did, even though Miami shot incredibly well from three.

The Cavs were led by Donovan Mitchell. He poured in 30 points to go along with five rebounds and four assists. Garland provided 27 points on 10-17 shooting with five helpers. Jerome had 28 points on 10-15 shooting with three assists.

Bam Adebayo led the Heat in scoring with 24 points and nine rebounds. Tyler Herro added 21 points on 7-1 shooting and two assists. Andrew Wiggins finished with 14 points and six boards.

The Cavs took care of business in Game 1. They’ll have a chance to extend their series lead on Wednesday when they host the Heat for Game 2.