Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Undermanned Heat end Cavaliers’ four-game winning streak

One hundred and thirty-nine nights after signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Max Strus hosted his old pals at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and got showed up. Comically, he and Jimmy Butler aimed middle fingers at each other and then hugged before tipoff. The Heat, minus its two main centers and without Tyler Herro (out since Nov. 11), established control early and never conceded the lead.

The Cavaliers weren’t phased much early against man coverage, recording 26 points on 10 of 19 shots. Yet, it failed to stop Kyle Lowry from splashing five triples, a season-high, in the first quarter. He bombarded in transition and in the half-court at the wings when Cleveland over-helped. Thomas Bryant, Orlando Robinson and Butler each stole the ball and pushed the pace, racking nine fastbreak points.

Duncan Robinson guarded Strus around handoffs, forcing misses in the lane and at the wing. But the visitors’ biggest issue was Evan Mobley, who ran the floor for a putback in transition, scored from the dunker spot and took Butler off the dribble from the top to the cup.

Through 12 minutes, the Heat had a 37-26 lead, with Butler making a fifth of his tries. In the second quarter, Jaime Jaquez Jr. stormed Jarrett Allen in drop coverage for an eight-foot floater, hit a turnaround hook over the same guy (who has a five-inch height advantage) on the next possession, then connected on a left-wing catch-and-release triple when the closeout was late. Josh Richarson supplied two additional trifectas and a fadeaway over two-way rookie Craig Porter Jr., as the Heat’s next scoring leader of the quarter.

Still in the second, Miami forced seven more giveaways that turned into 10 extra points off mistakes and recovered three offensive rebounds that developed into nine second-chance points.

Strus finally got loose in each corner when Miami sagged off, and Mobley cracked the zone in the middle and slammed a lob from Darius Garland. Yet, on one play before intermission, Heat guard Dru Smith hurt his right leg when it landed to the side of the elevated court by the Cavs’ bench. His night ended there, and he was helped to the locker room.

At halftime, Miami led 69-55, with 21 points scored off Cleveland’s blunders and 14 assists to 4 turnovers.

In the third, Butler missed four attempts in a row but contributed by attracting extra attention on drive for the kickout triple to Haywood Highsmith and found Lowry for two supplemental 3-pointers. JJJ burned the Cavs with a corner tray when Cleveland scrambled after blitzing Lowry up top, then drove at Emoni Bates’ chest for a layup.

Defensively, the Heat forced four fresh turnovers when doubling and playing tight in single coverage. A steal by O. Robinson on Caris LeVert off a blitz angered the Cavalier so much that he verbally went at referee Brandon Adair and created a five-on-four for Miami and was hit with a technical foul. He kept going, then official Gediminas Petraitis issued his second, and he was gone.

At the start of the final interval, Cleveland’s coach J.B. Bickerstaff gave up, putting out four bench players on the court with his club down 22. Three of those four ( Damian Jones, Sam Merrill and Emoni Bates) are his bottom-shelf options.

Miami took a 30-point lead within minutes and finished the fourth quarter, making 11 of 19 baskets.

The Heat won 129-96. Lowry had 28 points on 60% shooting, and Jaquez had 22 on seven of 10 attempts.

When asked about Adebayo’s absence, Lowry said in his on-court interview that his center is irreplaceable but that he and the squad needed to get more open shots up regardless of him being out. “Tonight, we got an opportunity, and we didn’t pass them up.”

At the postgame presser, Spoelstra said there wouldn’t be an update on Smith until the team could do a scan. He also praised O. Robinson and Bryant’s minutes filling for #13. “We have more depth at those frontcourt positions than we’ve had probably in some of the previous years. We just really commend Thomas and [O. Robinson] for staying ready. This league is not easy when you are worthy enough to play and you are not playing….Both of those guys gave us great minutes.”

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