CLEVELAND – The confines of American Airlines Arena have been quite unfriendly for the Cavaliers over the last eight years.
Those struggles would linger yet again on Tuesday evening.
Cleveland lost its 14th straight matchup in Miami, 98-79, ending its five-game winning streak on a season-low point total and season-worst 15.4 percent (4-of-26) clip from beyond the arc. The Heat have won seven in a row at home, and improved to 23-13 at American Airlines Arena this season.
LeBron James led the way with 18 points, six rebounds and seven assists, while Rodney Hood chipped in 15 points and three rebounds. Kevin Love departed with a face injury, leaving interim head coach Larry Drew without a reliable second scorer.
Kelly Olynyk and James Johnson paced the Miami production with 19 and 15 points respectively. Head coach Erik Spoelstra and company held the advantage for the vast majority of the contest, and posted substantially better defensive numbers (two more steals, eight more blocks than Cavs).
Here are three takeaways from a loss that brought the Cavaliers’ recent success to a screeching halt…
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