Miami beat Cleveland by a score of 106-95, even catching some fans off guard. "We knew the lines in Vegas listed us as favorites," said Miami coach Bob. "And we knew we had a great shot going in, but really expected a more competitive game. I don't know whether we were really that good or whether they had something else on their minds. Whatever, we're thrilled to get this kind of win over an excellent team like Cleveland."

Said Cleveland star Smith, "Coach kept yelling at us 'you know you're better than that,' and he was right. We just didn't have the intensity or whatever today, and it showed in our game. The good thing is that we know we can't play much worse than we did out there, and that we could have won if we'd played as good as we're capable of playing."

Miami was led by Crandell (17 points, 9 boards, 2 assists, a steal, a block), Dupree (18 points, 8 boards, 3 assists, a steal), Byrd (13 points, 4 blocks). Cleveland was led by Smith (33 points), Patrick (20 points, 1 assists, a block), Simmons (7 points, 7 boards, 2 assists, 3 blocks).

With this victory, Miami stand at 16-12. They remain at #3 in the Southeast and remain at #9 overall in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland are now 14-14 and 10-6 at home after this defeat. They hold at #5 in the Central and hold at #10 overall in the Eastern Conference.

box score Miami roster Cleveland roster