The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t have one of their leading scorers in Game 3.
Nonetheless, despite Darius Garland’s absence, they didn’t find much trouble dominating the Miami Heat.
Jarrett Allen had the best playoff game of his young career, dominating both Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware with ease.
As pointed out by the team on X, he dropped a career-best 22 points on 8-of-9 from the floor, and he also grabbed 10 rebounds.
Big JA. Big outing.
Jarrett dropped a playoff career-high 22, grabbed 10 rebounds, and shot 8-9 from the floor. #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/WSJP19nQ6R
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) April 27, 2025
Posting those kinds of numbers is always impressive, and doing so against one of the best defensive big men in the league makes it all the more remarkable.
Erik Spoelstra’s team has unsuccessfully tried to dictate the pace of the series and slow down the tempo with long possessions and physicality.
Some claimed that the Cavs would have a tough time in the postseason because the referees let the players get away with a more physical defense, but that hasn’t been the case so far.
They’re now just one win away from clinching a spot in the second round, and Allen will be crucial to make sure the series doesn’t extend beyond Monday night.
Garland will most likely sit out and miss another game, and the Heat will desperately try to stave off elimination and live for another day.
They will definitely make adjustments to try to prevent Allen from being such a factor on offense again, but that should only open up the field for the shooters.
Barring a shocking turn of events, the series should end tonight.
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