Cleveland Cavaliers vs Miami Heat Player Stats and Box Score for Dec. 8 | 2024-25 NBA Season

The Cleveland Cavaliers visited South Beach on Sunday to face the Miami Heat at the Kaseya Center. The Cavs entered the game with a four-game winning streak, while the Heat have won two in a row. It was also their first meeting of the season, with Miami winning last season's series 3-1.

After a close first half, the Heat prevailed over the Cavaliers 122-113 to extend their winning streak to three. It was only Cleveland's fourth loss of the season and remains atop the Eastern Conference standings. Evan Mobley's absence in the second half proved to be too much for the Cavs to overcome.

Tyler Herro led the way for Miami with 34 points, six rebounds and seven assists, while Jimmy Butler had 18 points, five assists and two steals. Darius Garland scored 23 points for Cleveland, with Donovan Mitchell putting up just 12 points on 16 shots.

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Cleveland Cavaliers vs Miami Heat Player Stats and Box Score

Cavaliers

Players	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	MIN	FG	3PT	FT	+/-
Dean Wade	11	8	0	1	1	0	1	29	3-7	3-7	2-2	-9
Evan Mobley	4	3	0	1	0	1	0	12	2-4	0-1	0-0	-11
Jarrett Allen	6	7	1	0	0	1	2	29	3-7	0-0	0-0	-11
Darius Garland	23	5	5	0	0	2	1	32	9-19	2-6	3-4	-11
Donovan Mitchell	12	1	5	2	0	3	1	31	5-16	1-5	1-1	-16
Jaylon Tyson	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0-0	0-0	0-0	5
JT Thor	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	2-2	1-1	0-0	5
Georges Niang	15	6	2	1	0	1	2	31	5-7	3-4	2-2	11
Caris LeVert	13	2	4	0	0	0	4	29	5-7	2-2	1-1	-4
Ty Jerome	14	4	6	0	0	0	3	21	4-11	0-2	6-6	-4
Sam Merrill	10	0	2	0	0	1	4	21	3-6	2-5	2-2	-5
Luke Travers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0-0	0-0	0-0	5
Tristan Thompson	DNP

Heat

Players	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	MIN	FG	3PT	FT	+/-
Duncan Robinson	23	3	1	1	0	1	2	28	7-11	4-6	5-5	11
Haywood Highsmith	0	5	1	0	0	2	3	24	0-2	0-2	0-0	9
Jimmy Butler	18	3	5	2	0	1	0	35	6-12	0-2	6-8	10
Bam Adebayo	16	13	6	0	1	1	2	36	7-14	2-4	0-0	20
Tyler Herro	34	6	7	0	0	2	2	36	10-19	5-9	9-9	5
Kevin Love	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0-1	0-1	0-0	-11
Thomas Bryant	2	1	0	0	2	0	1	7	0-0	0-0	2-2	0
Terry Rozier	14	9	3	0	1	0	1	28	6-14	2-5	0-0	10
Dru Smith	11	4	2	0	0	2	2	26	4-9	3-6	0-0	-2
Jaime Jaquez Jr.	4	3	2	1	0	2	2	16	1-4	0-2	2-2	-7
Keshad Johnson	DNP
Nikola Jovic	DNP
Alec Burks	DNP
Josh Richardson	DNP
Pelle Larsson	DNP

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Cleveland Cavaliers vs Miami Heat Game Summary

The Miami Heat was in control early in the first quarter, but the Cleveland Cavaliers didn't allow the lead to grow. The visitors had a short run in the final three minutes of the period to take a 25-21 lead after one. Both teams were not shooting well in the first though they were also playing good defense.

In the second quarter, the Cavs and Heat played back-and-forth before Miami finished the game on a good run to have a 59-51 advantage at halftime. Tyler Herro had 15 points to lead all scorers, while Ty Jerome had 12 points off the bench for Cleveland.

The Miami Heat started the third quarter hot to increase their lead to double digits and as many as 13 points. However, the Cleveland Cavaliers were not going away that easily and kept the game competitive. They had no answer for Tyler Herro, who had 19 points in the period to give Miami a 90-80 lead after three.

While the Cavaliers opened the final period on a run to trim Miami's lead to five points, it was the closest they could get. The Heat maintained their advantage to earn their 12th win of the season.

Evan Mobley's absence was vital for both teams as the Cavs struggled defensively without him. They couldn't get stops as the Heat kept attacking the basket with 50 points in the paint.

Mobley suffered a sprained ankle in the second quarter and was ruled out for the rest of the game. With the game being the second of a back-to-back, the Cavs wanted to be cautious with their best defender.

On the other hand, the Miami Heat are starting to click on all cylinders as they continue their ascent in the Eastern Conference standings.