- 1 Miami Heat vs Cleveland Cavaliers: Giannis’s first look at Cleveland in a Heat jersey, with Allen’s knee still in doubt
- 2 Miami Heat: 27.3 points from Giannis, 8.2 assists from Davion Mitchell
- 3 Cleveland Cavaliers: 1-3 on the road and Jarrett Allen questionable with a knee problem
- 4 Free NBA Prediction: Miami Heat vs Cleveland Cavaliers
- 5 About our free predictions
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your responsibility
- 9 Responsible gambling
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About visuals
Miami Heat vs Cleveland Cavaliers: Giannis’s first look at Cleveland in a Heat jersey, with Allen’s knee still in doubt 
Giannis Antetokounmpo went 14 of 23 from the field in Sacramento on Sunday and finished with 29 points and 14 rebounds. Klay Thompson hit seven threes for 23, Bam Adebayo scored 18, and Miami won 114-108. It was the Heat’s fourth win of the season. They started 0-4.
That record, now 4-6, still looks odd next to the names on the roster. Miami got Antetokounmpo from Milwaukee in a trade agreed in late June, sending Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis and two unprotected first-round picks the other way. Thompson signed a two-year deal in late August after a buyout from Dallas.
Cleveland is 5-5. The Cavaliers are 4-2 at home and 1-3 on the road, and they’ve just lost 109-97 to the Knicks at Rocket Arena on Saturday. Donovan Mitchell scored 37 in that game. James Harden, re-signed on September 8, went 2 of 9 for seven points.
Tip-off is Friday 13 November at 8:00pm ET at Kaseya Center, an NBA Cup group game. Miami plays in Utah on Tuesday and then has two days off. Cleveland plays in Charlotte tonight and at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, then flies home after this one to host Dallas on Saturday.
Last season’s series finished 2-2. The closest of the four was a 140-138 Heat win in overtime on November 10, 2025, in Miami, and Cleveland won 130-116 in the same building two nights later.
The two March games were both in Cleveland and went one each way: a 120-103 Heat win on March 25 and a 149-128 Cavaliers win two nights later. Friday is the first meeting of this season, and the first with Antetokounmpo on Miami’s side.
Miami Heat: 27.3 points from Giannis, 8.2 assists from Davion Mitchell 
Antetokounmpo came into Sunday averaging 27.3 points, 12.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists. Adebayo was at 18.6 points and 8.4 rebounds. The two of them make up a frontcourt that Cleveland hasn’t seen in this form.
Davion Mitchell is running the offense. He’s scoring 16.1 points and handing out 8.2 assists a game, and he’s the reason Erik Spoelstra can keep Antetokounmpo off the ball on some possessions. Thompson, at 13.8 points, gives them the floor spacing that was missing in the 0-4 start.
The bench has Pelle Larsson at 11.1 points, Andrew Wiggins at 8.6 and Bobby Portis at 7.3. No Heat player was listed injured on Sunday.
Miami sat ninth in the East at 3-6 before Sunday’s win. The roster was built to finish far higher than that, and the 145 points against Indiana on October 30 showed what the offense looks like when the shots fall.
The results since the bad start have swung. Miami beat Indiana 145-125 on October 30, lost 138-117 to the Lakers on November 2, won 117-116 in overtime against the Clippers two nights later, and lost 120-100 in Golden State on November 5. The win in Sacramento closed a four-game Western trip at 2-2.
The Heat’s only game between now and Friday is Tuesday’s trip to Utah. They host Detroit on Saturday, so Cleveland is the first night of a back-to-back.
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Cleveland Cavaliers: 1-3 on the road and Jarrett Allen questionable with a knee problem 
Jarrett Allen missed his second straight game against the Knicks with a knee injury. Rookie Meleek Thomas started in his place next to Evan Mobley. Allen is listed questionable for Friday.
The injury list is longer than that. Sam Merrill is out with an elbow problem, and Jaylon Tyson is out with an ankle injury. Max Strus and Dennis Schröder left in the summer. Kenny Atkinson’s newer pieces are Peyton Watson and Cam Whitmore, both added on August 20, and Mario Hezonja, signed on July 31.
Mitchell carries this team. His 37 against New York came on a night when the rest of the starters struggled, and Harden’s 2-of-9 shooting left him with seven points.
The road record is the problem. Cleveland won 136-111 in Milwaukee on October 31 and lost 124-116 in Oklahoma City on November 4. A 119-95 home win over Philadelphia came between two losses to the Thunder and the Knicks.
Friday is the third game in five nights for the Cavaliers, and the third stop of a Charlotte, New York, Miami, Cleveland run. They’ll be playing in a building where they lost by two in overtime a year ago.
Probable lineup Miami Heat: Not announced at time of publication
Probable lineup Cleveland Cavaliers: Not announced at time of publication
Free NBA Prediction: Miami Heat vs Cleveland Cavaliers
Our prediction: Miami Heat to win
I’d back Miami on the moneyline. The Heat get two days of rest against a Cavaliers team on its third game in five nights, and the matchup inside favors them if Allen isn’t fit. Antetokounmpo and Adebayo against a front line built around Mobley and a rookie is the edge I’d bet on.
No odds are posted yet for this one. If the Heat open as a short favorite near 1.70, it’s a bet; if the price drops under 1.45, I’d move to Miami on a small handicap instead.
The case against is Donovan Mitchell, who can win a game on his own, and a Cleveland team that’s played better than 5-5 suggests at home. Away from Rocket Arena it’s 1-3. Miami’s 4-6 is the worse record, but four of those games came on a Western road trip, and the Heat have won three of their last five.
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