Cleveland Cavaliers Clinch First Playoff Spot of the Season

Cleveland Cavaliers became the first team to secure a spot in the NBA playoffs this season following a hard-fought 112-107 victory over the Miami Heat.

The game saw another stellar performance from Cavs’ star Donovan Mitchell, who dropped 26 points in a thrilling contest at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Miami pushed Cleveland to the limit, leading by seven points late in the fourth quarter.

 However, the hosts mounted a comeback in the final minutes to extend their winning streak to 12 games and officially book their playoff spot—more than a month before the postseason begins.

This marks the third time this season that Cleveland has managed a winning streak of at least 12 games. The team now sits atop the Eastern Conference with a 52-10 record, solidifying their lead with just 20 games remaining in the regular season.

Mitchell was one of six Cleveland players who finished the game with more than 10 points against Miami, which was missing several key players, including Canadian Andrew Wiggins, Kel’el Ware, and Mexican-American Jaime Jaquez Jr.

Evan Mobley contributed a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds, while Darius Garland finished with 15 points and 10 assists.

For Miami, Bam Adebayo delivered an outstanding performance, leading all scorers with 34 points and adding 12 rebounds.

“It took a collective effort,” Mitchell said after the game. “But we were stopped offensively, and we need to be better. The good thing is, we’re learning while winning.”

Despite the historic achievement, Mitchell downplayed Cleveland being the first team to clinch a playoff berth, saying, “It’s definitely a blessing and a testament to our hard work, but it doesn’t mean much. I’m happy we did it for the fans, but we have a lot more to accomplish.”

Other Significant Results

Boston Celtics, the defending champions and Cleveland’s closest competitors in the Eastern Conference standings (44-18), secured a 128-118 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. The victory was powered by an incredible performance from Derrick White and Payton Pritchard off the bench. The duo combined for 84 points—41 for White and 43 for Pritchard—marking the first time in franchise history that two Celtics players have scored 40+ points in the same game.

Greek star Giannis Antetokounmpo dominated in Milwaukee Bucks’ 137-107 rout of the Dallas Mavericks, scoring 32 points to surpass the 20,000-point mark in regular-season play.

The 30-year-old accomplished this feat just a day after LeBron James became the first player in NBA history to surpass 50,000 career points (regular season and playoffs combined). Giannis also grabbed 15 rebounds, becoming the 52nd player in league history to reach the 20K mark in his 12th NBA season.

Washington Wizards secured a narrow 125-122 victory over the Utah Jazz.

In the Western Conference, Oklahoma City Thunder moved closer to a playoff berth with a 120-103 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, thanks to a 41-point explosion from Canadian star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

In Denver, the Nuggets fought back from a 14-point third-quarter deficit to edge out the Sacramento Kings 116-110.

Minnesota Timberwolves also recorded an impressive 125-110 win against the Charlotte Hornets.

With the Cavs locking in their playoff spot and Giannis hitting 20K points, the NBA action is heating up—just like the odds on Betway, the #1 betting site in Bahrain. Whether it’s backing Cleveland’s dominance or riding the Celtics’ historic performances, Betway is where the real winners play.