Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) dribbles the basketball as Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (45) defends in the first quarter during game three for the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Kaseya Center. Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Cavaliers set several records in first-round sweep of Heat

By Mike J. Asti | Last updated Apr 28, 2025 11:33 PM ET

The Cleveland Cavaliers completed a first-round sweep of the Heat on Monday night, obliterating Miami with a 55-point win. And while Cleveland's performance may only count as one win, it demonstrated the full potential of the Eastern Conference's No. 1 seed.

Cleveland won the game 138-83 thanks to a total team effort. Donovan Mitchell may have led the way with 22 points, but six different Cavaliers reached double-digits in scoring, something that's been a theme for Cleveland all year. In addition to Mitchell, Jarrett Allen also stood out with a double-double, adding 12 rebounds to his 14 points.

Most expected the Cavaliers to make quick work of Miami, but Cleveland set numerous NBA and franchise records in the process.

Cleveland's 55-point beatdown of Miami now stands as the fourth-largest margin of victory in a single playoff game in NBA history. Even more impressive, the Cavaliers outscored the Heat by 122 points throughout their four-game sweep - the new largest point differential for any series in league history.

The @cavs outscored the Heat by a combined 122 PTS in the 4-game sweep, THE LARGEST POINT DIFFERENTIAL in any @NBA playoff series in @NBAHistory.

The previous mark was +121 by Denver in their 2009 1st round series against New Orleans (5 games).

via @EliasSports #LetEmKnow
— Cavs Notes (@CavsNotes) April 29, 2025

Also, the Cavaliers' 138 points in Game 4 set a new franchise mark for total points in a single playoff game. This year's team takes over for one of the best teams in franchise history. The 2017 Cavaliers scored 137 in an NBA Finals game against the Golden State Warriors on June 9, 2017.

Not to be overshadowed by the offensive production, the Cavaliers held Miami to the lowest point total for any opponent in the regular season and playoff combined. The last time they held a team to under 90 points was when they beat the Washington Wizards, who finished with the worst record in the East, 118-87 on Dec. 3.

As part of the reaction to Cleveland's incredibly impressive win, some joked a 55-point victory should result in more than just one playoff win. But even though it does just count as only one win, the Cavaliers' sweep now earns Cleveland some much-needed time off as the other series wrap up.

And Mitchell seems happy about the upcoming rest ahead.

"I mean, I'm always a big fan of rest. This is the best I've felt in my career. So the biggest thing now is to use, take advantage of it, still get our work in," said Mitchell in his postgame interview on TNT.

Mike J. Asti

Mike Asti is an experienced media personality and journalist with a vast resume and skillset, most notably from time with TribLIVE Radio and WPXI-TV. Asti now serves as the Managing Editor of WV Sports Now, where he leads the coverage of WVU sports. He has also covered the Steelers, Penguins, Pirates and other teams within the Pittsburgh market

More must-reads: