The Miami Heat had a successful home stand at the American Airlines Arena last Saturday defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 99–84, with the victory also being their second consecutive to improve their record to 12–6.
Miami performed great and dominated the Cavaliers who played without superstar forward LeBron James, who rested and spent the entire night on the bench cheering for his teammates.
Leading the charge for the Heat were guards Dwyane Wade and Tyler Johnson who scored 19 points each in the win.
Wade also had five rebounds, four assists, and one steal, while Johnson listed five rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block.
"It would have been great to play against LeBron. We'll see him next time," Wade said about the missed opportunity of playing against James, according to the Associated Press.
Also stepping up for the Heat in the huge win over Cleveland were point guard Goran Dragić, All-Star forward Chris Bosh, and guard Gerald Green.
Dragić recorded 17 points, two rebounds, and eight assists in 31 minutes of action, second among Heat players in minutes played in the game.
Bosh led all players in minutes played with 36, in which he had 14 points, six rebounds, three assists, and two blocks.
Green had explosive dunks in the win and helped Miami, contributing 12 points, three rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block.
The victory helped the Heat nab the top spot in the Eastern Conference standings, surpassing powerhouse teams like the Cavs, Chicago Bulls, and the Indiana Pacers.
Meanwhile for the Cavaliers, the loss was the third straight for them as the top spot in the standings also slipped from their grasps.
In James' absence, veteran forward Richard Jefferson led Cleveland's offense with 16 points in 38 minutes of action.
Despite the string of losses, the Cavaliers are still the second-best team in the East with a 13–7 record.
