The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Miami Heat, 104-100, at Miami-Dade Arena on Wednesday night.

The Heat (35-32) came into the contest as a home underdog, but early on, conditions seemed ripe for an upset. Miami owned a 30-26 lead over the Cavaliers (42-26) after one, but Cleveland subsequently outscored the hosts, 61-52, over the middle periods to take a five-point advantage into the final 12 minutes. Defense took center stage during a fourth quarter where only 35 total points were scored, and after the Heat got within one with just under three minutes remaining, the visitors managed to score six of the final nine points to seal the road victory.

Darius Garland led the Cavaliers with 25 points, adding seven assists and two steals. Donovan Mitchell posted 18 points, four assists, four rebounds and two steals. Evan Mobley turned in 15 points, six boards, six assists, two blocks and one steal. Jarrett Allen matched Mobley's scoring and also tallied 12 rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block. Isaac Okoro netted 13 points.

Jimmy Butler paced the Heat with 28 points, complementing them with five rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block. Tyler Herro supplied 22 points, five boards, five assists and two steals. Bam Adebayo turned in 17 points.

The two teams reconvene at Miami-Dade Arena for a rematch on Friday night.