The 2024-25 Cleveland Cavaliers were the best team in the Eastern Conference due to their consistency. They were 34-7 at home, 30-11 on the road, while being first in offensive rating and eighth in defensive rating.
Through two games in their playoff series with the Miami Heat, Cleveland scored 121 points in each contest while Donovan Mitchell went for 30 points in both. Told ya they were consistent.
Those were two different games, though.
In Game 1, Cleveland jumped out to a seven-point lead, then laid down the hammer in the fourth quarter, cruising to the 121-100 win.
In Game 2, the teams played to a draw in the first quarter, then the Cavaliers swept the leg in the second quarter, going into halftime with a 17-point lead. The Heat battled back, though, winning the third quarter by four points and then getting to within two points in the fourth quarter.
That’s when Donovan Mitchell ($8,300; 51.5 FPTS) took over, scoring eight straight points, finishing the quarter with 14 total and leading the Cavs to the nine-point win and 2-0 series lead. Mitchell shot 10-of-21 from the field, 7-of-10 from downtown and 3-of-4 from the line. He finished with 30 points, six rebounds, six assists and a steal in 36 minutes.
Darius Garland ($7,000; 37.5 FPTS) and Evan Mobley ($7,900; 31.5 FPTS) scored 21 and 20 points respectively, but it was Max Strus ($4,100; 29.75 FPTS) who provided the most fantasy value, putting up 14 points, a rebound, six assists and two steals in 26 minutes.
For Miami, Tyler Herro ($7,700; 49 FPTS) led the way with 33 points, six rebounds and five assists in 40 minutes. He shot 14-of-24 from the field, 4-of-11 from downtown and 1-of-2 from the line.
Bam Adebayo ($8,400; 45 FPTS) put up 11 points, 14 rebounds, nine assists and a steal in 42 minutes. He only shot 3-of-9 from the field and 1-of-5 from downtown, but converted all four of his free throw attempts.
Davion Mitchell ($5,000; 30.25 FPTS) continued to impress with 18 points, a rebound, six assists and a steal in 36 minutes.
Nikola Jovic ($3,100; 23.5 FPTS) only played one minute in Game 1, but received 25 minutes on Wednesday, delivering 11 points, eight rebounds and two assists.
Game 3 is Saturday in Miami at 1 p.m. ET.
