Kyle Lowry scores 28 to lead Heat to 129-96 win over Cavs
Kyle Lowry made seven 3-pointers and scored a season-high 28 points, and the Miami Heat took advantage of Cleveland playing the second night of a back-to-back, rolling over the sluggish Cavaliers 129-96 on Wednesday.
Lowry made his first five 3s and finished 7 of 9 from long range. The Heat were without injured All-Star center Bam Adebayo but built a 19-point lead in first half and never trailed in winning for the ninth time in 10 games.
Miami has had to do most of it on the road, as the Heat are playing a league-high 12 of 17 games to start the season outside South Florida.
Rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. had his best game as a pro with 22 points.
The Cavs had their winning streak stopped at four. They were understandably dragging after winning in overtime at Philadelphia on Tuesday night to keep their hopes alive for a wild card in the NBA's In-Season Tournament.
Darius Garland scored 14 points and Evan Mobley 13 to lead Cleveland, which has been pushing through a spate of injuries. With his team down 22 going into the fourth, Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff rested his starters.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra did the same, letting his reserves close out Miami's largest win this season.
Cavs rookie Craig Porter Jr. scored a team-high 16 in his first career start.
Both teams were missing their best players.
Adebayo sat out with a left hip bruise that he aggravated with a fall during a recent game. Adebayo leads the Heat in scoring (22.8 points), rebounds (10.2) and gives Miami a strong defensive presence inside.
Donovan Mitchell was out again for the Cavs, who have been shorthanded due to injuries most of the season. Mitchell, who averages a team-high 29.2 points, has missed four straight games with a hamstring injury the team is treating very cautiously.
Lowry set the tone right after the opening tip, making four 3-pointerrs in the first 4:49 as the Heat sprinted to a 19-7 lead.
The Cavs regrouped and quickly closed the gap, but Lowry hit his fifth straight 3 to make it 27-20. The Miami point guard's first miss from deep came when he launched from 32 feet — a literal Heat check.
Cleveland was still within striking distance in the third, but the Heat dropped five more 3-pointers — Lowry had two — to push the lead to 101-79 after three.
Miami reserve guard Dru Smith was helped off in the second quarter with an apparent lower leg injury.
Heat forward Kevin Love didn't make the trip for personal reasons. It would have been his first game back in Cleveland after being released last season. Love spent nine years with the Cavs and was a core member of their 2016 NBA title team.
UP NEXT
Heat: At New York on Friday.
Cavaliers: Host LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday.
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