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
SIBLING RIVALRY: Marc Marquez was locked in a duel with his little brother, falling behind at one point before recovering for his first season-opening victory since 2014 Six-time world champion Marc Marquez yesterday won the MotoGP season-opening Thailand Grand Prix to complete a dominant debut weekend at his new Ducati Lenovo Team, having also romped to Saturday’s sprint. The Spanish great took the 26-lap grand prix by 1.732 seconds for his 63rd MotoGP victory from younger brother Alex Marquez, who is still seeking a first checkered flag, with Francesco Bagnaia third to complete an all-Ducati podium. It completed a perfect weekend for Marc Marquez, who took pole position, the sprint victory and the grand prix win for a maximum 37 points to open the 22-leg 2025 campaign. He led from
AC Milan’s slender hopes of reaching next season’s UEFA Champions League took another hit on Thursday with a 2-1 defeat at Bologna which left them eight points from Serie A’s top four. Sergio Conceicao’s team sit eighth, some way behind fourth-placed Juventus after losing an entertaining contest at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, a match which was rescheduled from October last year due to torrential rain and flooding. Swathes of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy, much of which is fertile agricultural land, had been left under water following a massive autumn downpour. Dan Ndoye prodded home the decisive goal in the 82nd minute
VALUABLE POINT: Relegation-threatened Valencia snatched a thrilling 3-3 draw at CA Osasuna thanks to a remarkable backheel volley by Umar Sadiq Barcelona on Sunday secured a comfortable 4-0 win over Real Sociedad to move back top of La Liga. Aritz Elustondo’s early red card gave Hansi Flick’s side a comfortable afternoon, with Gerard Martin, Marc Casado, Ronald Araujo and Robert Lewandowski on the score sheet. Atletico Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao on Saturday to temporarily knock the Catalans from their perch, while Real Madrid, third, lost at Real Betis Balompie. Flick was able to rotate his side a little ahead of the UEFA Champions League round-of-16 visit to face SL Benfica tomorrow and still move one point above Atletico. “There were a lot of things that
Former Australian motorcycle gang member-turned-golfer Ryan Peake, who served a lengthy jail term for assault, yesterday produced a “life-changing” maiden win to qualify for The Open Championship. Peake held his nerve for a one-stroke victory at the New Zealand Open, earning him a berth at the major in Portrush, Northern Ireland, in July, pending clearance to travel as a convicted criminal. The 31-year-old from Perth celebrated animatedly and was showered with champagne by friends on the 18th green of the Millbrook Resort course near Queenstown after a redemption story rarely seen in the refined sport of golf. Peake held back tears as he
RSS