Donovan Mitchell on Wednesday scored 26 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers punched their ticket to the NBA playoffs with a hard-fought 112-107 victory over the Miami Heat.
A seesaw battle in Cleveland saw the Heat threaten to end the Cavs’ 11-game unbeaten streak after opening up a seven-point lead late in the fourth quarter, but the Cavs clawed back the deficit in the closing minutes to seal their 12th straight victory and a place in the post-season.
The Cavaliers improved to 52-10, maintaining their stranglehold on the Eastern Conference with 20 games of the regular season remaining.
Photo: AP
Mitchell was one of six Cleveland players to finish in double figures against a short-handed Miami team missing Andrew Wiggins, Kel’el Ware and Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Evan Mobley backed Mitchell with 16 points and 13 rebounds, while Darius Garland finished with 15 points and 10 assists.
Bam Adebayo led Miami’s scorers with a game-high 34 points.
Photo: AP
The victory was too close for comfort for Cleveland talisman Mitchell.
“It took a collective effort as a group, but we locked down and got stops — but we’ve got to be better,” Mitchell said. “It’s always good to learn through a win though.”
Mitchell played down the significance of Cleveland becoming the first team to reach the post-season.
“It’s definitely a blessing and a sign of our hard work, but it don’t really mean much,” Mitchell said. “I’m happy we were able to do it for the crowd, but we’ve got a lot more to accomplish.”
Cleveland’s nearest pursuers, the Boston Celtics, powered past the Portland Trail Blazers 128-118 after a sensational pair of 40-point performances from Derrick White and Payton Pritchard.
White finished with 41 points, while Pritchard erupted for 43, delivering a shooting masterclass that included 10 three-pointers from 16 attempts.
“They were tremendous,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said of White and Pritchard. “The way those two played says a lot about who they are. They do a lot of the dirty work. So to have a night like this where those two can show what they’re capable of was good for us. We’re lucky to have them and it’s a lot of fun to watch them do that.”
The Celtics improved to 44-18 with the win and are eight games behind leaders Cleveland.
In the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder edged closer to a playoff berth after surging past the Memphis Grizzlies 120-103 on the back of a 41-point performance from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
“I’m just having fun with the game, nothing more than that,” Gilgeous-Alexander told ESPN. “I’m trusting my teammates, trusting the work I put in in the off-season, and just trying to have fun and play free.”
Oklahoma City improved to 51-11 and now lead the West by 11 games from the second-placed Los Angeles Lakers.
In Denver, Colorado, the Nuggets fought back from a 14-point deficit in the third quarter to score a 116-110 defeat of the Sacramento Kings.
Russell Westbrook led Denver’s scorers with 25 points, while Jamal Murray added 24 and Nikola Jokic 22.
The Milwaukee Bucks kept up their pursuit of the Eastern Conference’s front-runners with a 137-107 drubbing of the Dallas Mavericks.
Damian Lillard led the Bucks scoring with 34 points, while Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 32 points.
The Bucks improved to 36-25 for the season and remain fourth in the Eastern Conference.
In Charlotte, North Carolina, Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels scored 29 points apiece as the Minnesota Timberwolves pulled away to complete a 125-110 victory over the Hornets.
Elsewhere, the Wizards silenced the Jazz 125-122 and the Clippers downed the Pistons 123-115.
Additional reporting by staff writer
Omar Marmoush’s stunning long-range strike on Tuesday upstaged Kevin de Bruyne on the Manchester City great’s Etihad farewell. Marmoush let fly from about 30m to put City ahead in their 3-1 win against AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League. The victory moved Pep Guardiola’s team up to third in the standings and left qualification for the UEFA Champions League in their own hands heading into the last round of the season. “It’s really important. To be in the Champions League after what happened [this season] will be really nice,” the City manager said. De Bruyne was making his final home appearance for City before
TIGHT FINISH: Napoli only needed to do the same as or better than Inter, who won their game against Como 2-0 on the same day, leaving Napoli with a one-point lead The two players who Antonio Conte wanted more than any others secured Napoli their second Serie A title in three years on Friday. Scott McTominay scored with an acrobatic bicycle kick before halftime and Romelu Lukaku doubled the lead with a solo goal after the break in the decisive 2-0 home win over Cagliari. Conte became the first coach to win the Italian championship with three different teams. “Everyone contributed to this — but the coach most of all,” Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo said. “Napoli needed him to get back on top. He’s phenomenal.” Comparing it to his three Serie A titles won
The journey of Taiwan’s badminton mixed doubles duo Ye Hong-wei and Nicole Chan at the Malaysia Masters in Kuala Lumpur came to an end in the semi-finals yesterday after they suffered a 2-0 loss to China’s Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping. Ye, 25, and Chan, 20, teamed up last year and are currently ranked No. 23 in the world. The Taiwanese shuttlers took on China’s second seeds in the mixed doubles event, but proved no match for Feng and Huang, losing the match 10-21, 7-21. In the first half of the first game, the pairings were neck and neck at 6-7 until Ye
SSC Napoli coach Antonio Conte has dragged the team back from disaster and restored them to the top of Italian Serie A, but his future at the Scudetto winners is in doubt even after a triumphant season. The fiery 55-year-old has exceeded preseason expectations and bolstered his reputation as a serial winner by guiding Napoli to their fourth Scudetto, and second in three seasons. However, he might well be on his way in the summer after just one season at the helm as his charged relationship with Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis has simmered throughout the campaign. Conte has said
RSS