- What: NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs First Round Game 4
- When: April 28, 2025
- Who: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Miami Heat
- Time: 4:30 p.m. PST
- Where: Kaseya Center (Miami, FL)
The top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers are set to face the eighth-seeded Miami Heat in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series on Monday.
The Cavaliers currently lead the series 3-0 after a commanding 124-87 victory over the Heat in Game 3, held in Miami.
This win came even with the absence of guard Darius Garland, who was sidelined due to a toe injury. Sam Merrill, who stepped in as a starter, did not score in his 19 minutes on the court.
However, De’Andre Hunter contributed significantly with 21 points, and Ty Jerome added 13 points along with 11 assists off the bench.
Max Strus also had a solid performance against his former team, finishing with 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists, including 4 three-pointers.
On the other hand, the Heat struggled, hitting only 42.1% (32-for-76) of their shots and committing 16 turnovers.
They also faced a 17-rebound deficit, which proved detrimental. This marked the second time Miami lost by 21 or more points in the series.
Bam Adebayo stood out for the Heat, scoring 22 points and grabbing 9 rebounds, while hitting 4 three-pointers. He is averaging 19.0 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game in this series, along with 2.0 three-pointers per outing.
The Cavaliers are favored by 8.5 points in this crucial elimination game. While the Heat have shown resilience, they have been dominated by Cleveland, losing by at least 21 points in two of the three games.
The closest contest was Game 2, where the Cavaliers won 9 points.
If Garland remains out—and given Cleveland’s success in the previous game, that seems likely—wagering on them to cover the spread could be more challenging.
Even though the Cavaliers played well last time, the Heat may play with increased urgency in an elimination scenario.
Sweeping a team is always difficult, and while I think the Cavs win this one, I’m going to take the Heat to cover in this last game.
Best Bet: Heat +8.5 Points at -110 odds
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Tony Reyes is a sports betting analyst and reporter for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X @TonyParlay.
