Cavaliers: Max Strus, Jarrett Allen come up big in 149-128 rout of Miami

CLEVELAND — Now, that's more like it. The Cavaliers, inching closer to being whole, destroyed the Miami Heat Friday in a wire-to-wire 149-128 victory at Rocket Arena. Cleveland (46-28), which has won five of its last six games, was bullied by the Heat 120-103 Wednesday. Cavs swingman Max Strus changed the complexion of the game in the first quarter when he entered the game and drained four 3-point goals in five minutes. Cleveland sped to a 40-27 lead and never looked back. Strus looked to be in midseason form despite it being his sixth game of the season. He finished with a season-high 29 points and eight rebounds. He drained 10-for-14 from the field, 8-for-11 from the 3-point line. Strus, who missed the first 67 games after having foot surgery, said he felt like he couldn't miss. "I have to find any way to find an open shot," he said. "Nights like this are special and don't come very often." The Cavs' 149 points were a season high and topped their 148-115 win over the Washington Wizards on Nov. 7. Cleveland is ranked first in the NBA in total offense in the last 25 games. The Cavs, who embark on a three-game West Coast trip starting Monday in Utah, welcomed back center Jarrett Allen, who had missed the previous 10 games with tendinitis in his right knee. The 6-foot-11, 248-pounder contributed 18 points and 10 rebounds in his first game since March 3 against the Detroit Pistons. Allen said he didn't realize he'd be out of the lineup for 3 ½ weeks when he first bumped knees with an opposing player. He said he wants to be a defensive stopper and protect the rim. "I came back and made the emphasis to help out (defensively)," Allen said. His return also gave the Cavs a mental lift. "Our spirt was better with him out there," Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said. "He was playing great when he got hurt. Our two-big lineup can be potent. We're so good defensively with the two big guys." Evan Mobley, who shifted back to power forward with the return of Allen, had a solid night with 23 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. Point guard James Harden matched his season high with 14 assists to go along with 17 points, five rebounds and two steals. "He makes the right decisions," Atkinson said. "He makes what we call strike-zone passes. He puts the ball right on the numbers. It's like having an accurate quarterback." Harden said the big difference in the game Friday was that it wasn't a back-to-back. "We got a day's rest and came out with energy," he said. "We hope to build on this. The No. 1 thing with us is our health. Going into the postseason healthy is the important thing." Atkinson had Harden on the court with Strus and Sam Merrill. "They are two of the smartest basketball players I've played with," Harden said. "They can shoot the crap out of the ball." Seven-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell, however, had perhaps his worst game of the season. He was 1-for-10 from the field for a season-low six points. Cleveland opened up an 81-46 advantage at halftime. Miami (39-35) had eight players in double figures, led by reserve guard Jaime Jaquez Jr.'s 20 points. Bam Adebayo finished with 14 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. However, he made just 3-for-14 from the field. Contact Bob Finnan at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X. Cavs 149, Heat 128 MIAMI (128): Powell 5-10 3-3 15, Wiggins 3-5 3-4 12, Adebayo 3-14 7-8 14, Da.Mitchell 1-6 0-0 2, Herro 4-13 2-2 11, Fontecchio 4-7 2-2 12, Gardner 1-3 1-2 3, Johnson 0-0 1-2 1, Ware 5-10 2-2 14, Jakucionis 3-6 6-6 14, Jaquez Jr. 9-13 0-1 20, Larsson 2-4 6-6 10. Totals 40-91 33-38 128.CLEVELAND (149): Merrill 3-9 2-2 10, Mobley 10-15 2-2 23, Allen 8-10 2-2 18, Do.Mitchell 1-10 4-4 6, Harden 4-11 7-7 17, Minix 2-3 0-0 6, Tomlin 0-0 0-0 0, Bryant 5-10 0-0 11, Nance Jr. 1-1 1-2 4, Strus 10-14 1-2 29, Sarr 0-0 1-2 1, Ellis 4-5 0-1 10, Proctor 1-2 4-4 6, Schroder 3-7 2-3 8. Totals 52-97 26-31 149.Miami&emsp;&emsp;27&emsp;&emsp;19&emsp;&emsp;41&emsp;&emsp;41&emsp;&emsp;—&emsp;&emsp;128Cleveland&emsp;&emsp;40&emsp;&emsp;41&emsp;&emsp;28&emsp;&emsp;40&emsp;&emsp;—&emsp;&emsp;1493-Point Goals—Miami 15-46 (Wiggins 3-3, Fontecchio 2-4, Ware 2-4, Jakucionis 2-5, Jaquez Jr. 2-5, Powell 2-5, Herro 1-4, Adebayo 1-8, Gardner 0-2, Larsson 0-2, Da.Mitchell 0-4), Cleveland 19-41 (Strus 8-11, Minix 2-2, Ellis 2-3, Harden 2-6, Merrill 2-7, Nance Jr. 1-1, Mobley 1-2, Bryant 1-4, Proctor 0-1, Schroder 0-1, Do.Mitchell 0-3). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Miami 45 (Adebayo 16), Cleveland 46 (Allen, Mobley 10). Assists—Miami 25 (Herro, Larsson 5), Cleveland 38 (Harden 14). Total Fouls—Miami 22, Cleveland 26. A—19,432 (19,432)