CLEVELAND — Five takeaways from the Miami Heat’s 113-87 blowout loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers (10-6) on Sunday night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse to fall to 0-3 on its four-game trip. The Heat (7-10) closes the trip on Monday against the Minnesota Timberwolves (8 p.m., Bally Sports Sun) on the second night of a back-to-back:
To earn a win over a quality Cavaliers team, the undermanned Heat needed close to a perfect performance. Sunday’s display was far from perfect for Miami.
With just 10 available players amid a rash of injuries, the Heat was already facing an uphill battle against the Cavaliers. Cleveland entered as one of only five NBA teams with both a top-10 offensive rating and defensive rating after the offseason acquisition of star guard Donovan Mitchell.
