The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Cavs drop sixth in a row
Kendrick Nunn scored 22 points and Duncan Robinson had 20, helping the Miami Heat move into a tie for sixth place in the Eastern Conference with a 124107 victory over the Cavaliers on May 1.
Trevor Ariza added 18 points and Bam Adebayo had 13 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for Miami, which is in a three-way battle with Atlanta and Boston for fifth, sixth and seventh in the conference.
Kevin Love, who did not attempt a shot in 22 minutes April 30 against Washington, scored 16 points in the first half and tied his season high with 25 for Cleveland. He shot 9 of 14 and was 7 of 10 on 3-pointers.
Collin Sexton had 25 points and eight assists, Dean Wade scored 18 points, and Cedi Osman had 15 points, seven rebounds and a career-best 11 assists for the Cavaliers. Cleveland has lost six in a row overall and eight of its last nine at home.
The Heat opened the third with a 19-8 run that featured three Robinson 3-pointers, extending their lead to 86-68. Cleveland never got closer than 13 points the rest of the way after there were 16 lead changes in the first half.
Nunn scored 15 points
and Strus had 14 as Miami carried a 67-60 advantage into halftime. Cleveland held an 11-point lead in the first quarter and trailed by 11 in the second.
The Cavaliers only had 10 players in uniform after point guard Darius Garland sprained his left ankle against the Wizards.
Cleveland is expected to seek an injury exception from the NBA that would allow it to add center Anderson Varejao. The mop-topped Brazilian, who spent his first 11 1/2 seasons with the Cavaliers, last played in the league with Golden State in 2016-17.
Negative numbers
The Cavaliers are on the verge of being eliminated from playoff contention for the third year in a row since LeBron James departed to sign with the Lakers. Cleveland has used 24 players this season, the second-highest number in franchise history, but coach J.B. Bickerstaff remains upbeat. “Living in the moment of being the underdog, that’s when it’s the most fun,” he said. “You can play freely, just scrap and leave it all on the floor.”