The Miami Heat (12 - 6) handily defeated the powerhouse Cleveland Cavaliers (13 - 7) on Saturday, winning 99 - 84. Cleveland star LeBron James was scratched from the lineup just a few hours before game time. Coach David Blatt told the media that he had to "force the issue" to get James to take the rest. The 30 - year - old superstar was coming off of a grueling overtime game in New Orleans the night before, so his absence is indicative of the team wanting to preserve their star's energy. Miami was able to capitalize on King James's absence, jumping out to a 12 - point lead by the end of the first quarter that they simply would not let go of. Things seemed to be firing on all cylinders for the Heat, as the team shot 54 percent from the field while holding their opponents to a measley 37 percent. Veteran Dwyane Wade and sophomore Tyler Johnson tied for the team lead in scoring, dropping in 19 points apiece. Meanwhile, center Hassan Whiteside, who was averaging a whopping 5 blocks per game coming into the matchup against the Cavaliers, continued his historic shot - blocking season, posting five blocks despite logging just 21 minutes. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, saw numerous underwhelming performances. All-star Kevin Love was held to just 2 - of - 11 from the floor, recording just five points. Shooting guard J.R. Smith also exhibited questionable shot selection at times, finishing just 4 - for - 12. Ultimately, it simply was not Cleveland's night. They will hope to fare better with a well - rested LeBron James as they take on the Trail Blazers on Tuesday. The Heat, on the other hand, will look to build upon the blowout of the Cavs. Their next matchup is at home on Monday against the Wizards.
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 "PlayerStat(G,'JR Smith') has 12 Blocks ,has 4 Field goals attempted ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Hassan Whiteside') has 5 Blocks ,has 21 Field goals attempted ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Dwyane Wade') has 19 Blocks ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Tyler Johnson') has 19 Blocks ."]