Mitchell, Jerome help Cavaliers rout Heat 121-100 in Game 1 of 1st-round series

CLEVELAND (AP) — Donovan Mitchell quickly put any doubts to rest about whether his left ankle was 100% going into the playoffs for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Mitchell scored 30 points and tied a playoff career high with four steals and the Cavaliers beat the Miami Heat 121-100 on Sunday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first-round series.

“He can get in the lane and finish and he’s a great shooter. Such a complete player,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. “Whatever we ask him to do, he’ll do it. He never shies away when we ask him to do the dirty work.”

It was the seventh straight series where Mitchell has scored at least 30 points in Game 1, tying Michael Jordan, who had two streaks of seven games.

“Just setting the tone. I have to be aggressive and see how the defense reacts to me,” Mitchell said.

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson, right, greets guard Donovan Mitchell (45) as he returns to the bench late in the second half in Game 1 of an NBA first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat, Sunday, April 20, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Ty Jerome had 16 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter for the top-seeded Cavaliers, who host Game 2 Wednesday night.

Darius Garland added 27. Garland and Jerome each had five 3-pointers and the Cavaliers were 18 of 43 from beyond the arc.

Bam Adebayo had 24 points and Tyler Herro added 21 for the Heat. They are the first No. 10 seed to advance to the playoffs out of the Play-In Tournament.

Cleveland had a 16-point lead midway through the second quarter, but Miami steadily cut it down and got to 98-90 with 7:26 remaining in the fourth. Cleveland put it out reach though with a 13-4 run that included 10 straight points by Jerome, who was taking part in his first playoff game.

Jerome was 6 of 7 from the field, and made all three of his 3-point attempts in the fourth quarter.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) gestures after hitting a three-point basket in the second half in Game 1 of an NBA first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat, Sunday, April 20, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

“He turned the game for us. He did it all tonight,” Atkinson said.

It is the most points the Cavaliers have scored in a playoff game since they had 128 in Game 4 of the 2018 Eastern Conference semifinals against Toronto.

“We played super hard and competitive. We made some unforced errors, just some decision making that was not elite but they (Miami) had something to do with that. Our decision making has to be on point,” Atkinson said.

It was tied at 22 with three minutes remaining in the first quarter before Cleveland went on a 9-2 run to go up by seven after 12 minutes, a lead it would not relinquish.

“They were a lot more physical than us and that obviously set the tone. We’ve got to clean that up. It’s not going to be any easier,” Herro said.