Cavs' win streak snapped when they can't sustain lead after epic rally

CLEVELAND — Given up for dead at halftime, the Cavaliers stormed back to take the lead in the fourth quarter. However, they stumbled in the final period of their 120-103 defeat to the Miami Heat on Wednesday at Rocket Arena. Short-handed Cleveland (45-28) had its four-game winning streak snapped. The Cavs will get another crack at the Heat on Friday at home. The night started on the wrong note when starting forward Dean Wade was a late scratch when he sprained his right ankle after stepping on a ball boy's foot after a layup before the game. He had just returned to the lineup after missing four games with the same injury. "It was unfortunate and unlucky," Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said. Cleveland's lineup was already ravaged by playing without starting center Jarrett Allen, who has missed 10 games with tendinitis in his right knee. There's a chance he'll return for the Miami game Friday. Valuable swingman Max Strus was held out of the game due to injury management, while second-year man Jaylon Tyson was sidelined with a bone bruise in his left big toe and point guard Craig Porter Jr. was out with a strained left groin. That left the Cavs extremely short-handed, especially in the frontcourt. Miami (39-34) came to town riding a five-game losing streak and had plummeted to 10th in the crowded Eastern Conference playoff race. The Heat, however, jumped all over Cleveland in the first half and built what seemed to be an insurmountable 21-point lead. The Cavs staged an exhilarating rally in the third quarter and outscored Miami 37-20 to knot the score at 83 heading into the final period. Guard Donovan Mitchell had 13 of his game-high 28 points in the third quarter before fouling out in the late going. Cleveland took a short-lived lead in the fourth before Miami took over. The Heat outscored the Cavs 37-20 in the final period to win the game going away. "We put up a good fight," Cleveland swingman Sam Merrill said. "We got ourselves back in the game." The Cavs credited the Heat's zone defense for disrupting them in the first half, which ended with Miami on top 63-46. "They have a unique style," Merrill said. "They were mixing their zone and different defenses. It took us awhile to figure it out." Cleveland's defense was much better than it was Tuesday against Orlando. "We have nine games left," Merrill said of the regular season. "That's going to be our entire focus to get where we need to be in the playoffs." Atkinson said he loved the Cavs' fight and resilience. Even though forward/center Evan Mobley was a bit off on offense, his coach loved his defense on Heat big man Bam Adebayo, who erupted for a historic 83-point performance earlier in the season. Adebayo finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, but was held to 6-for-19 from the field. Mobley managed just eight points and five rebounds. Swingman Keon Ellis moved into the starting lineup to replace Wade and had 17 points. "He was part of our defensive activity and uptick," Atkinson said. "He was all over the place." Point guard James Harden contributed 18 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, while Merrill added 18 points. The Heat had eight players in double figures, led by Norman Powell's 19 points and Tyler Herro's 18. Bob Finnan can be reached at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X. Miami 120, Cleveland 103 MIAMI (120): Powell 7-12 2-2 19, Wiggins 5-9 0-0 12, Adebayo 6-19 4-5 17, Da.Mitchell 4-6 1-2 11, Herro 6-11 2-2 18, Ware 5-5 0-1 13, Jakucionis 0-2 2-2 2, Jaquez Jr. 6-12 0-1 14, Larsson 3-5 7-7 14. Totals 42-81 18-22 120. CLEVELAND (103): Ellis 5-12 6-6 17, Merrill 6-13 2-2 18, Mobley 3-8 2-5 8, Do.Mitchell 12-22 0-0 28, Harden 4-10 7-7 18, Tomlin 2-3 2-2 6, Bryant 2-7 0-0 4, Proctor 0-1 0-0 0, Schroder 1-5 2-2 4. Totals 35-81 21-24 103. Miami&emsp;28&emsp;35&emsp;20&emsp;37&emsp;—&emsp;120Cleveland&emsp;19&emsp;27&emsp;37&emsp;20&emsp;—&emsp;103 3-Point Goals—Miami 18-45 (Herro 4-8, Ware 3-3, Powell 3-7, Da.Mitchell 2-4, Jaquez Jr. 2-5, Wiggins 2-5, Larsson 1-2, Adebayo 1-9, Jakucionis 0-2), Cleveland 12-37 (Do.Mitchell 4-9, Merrill 4-10, Harden 3-9, Ellis 1-7, Bryant 0-1, Schroder 0-1). Fouled Out—Miami None, Cleveland 1 (Do.Mitchell). Rebounds—Miami 40 (Ware 11), Cleveland 40 (Harden 9). Assists—Miami 31 (Adebayo 7), Cleveland 26 (Harden 7). Total Fouls—Miami 17, Cleveland 21. A—19,432 (19,432)