The Cleveland Cavaliers had a statement win against the Miami Heat with a final score of 121-100 on Sunday. They captured Game 1 of their first-round series, continuing their promising performance in the 2024-25 NBA season. They were led by Donovan Mitchell, who was unstoppable with his 30 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals on 57.9 percent shooting.
Aside from Mitchell, point guard Darius Garland stepped up and had 27 points, three rebounds and five assists. The performance of the team’s starting backcourt was one of the biggest reasons they captured the win. Aside from the two stars, backup point guard Ty Jerome also made the most of his 26 minutes of action.
Jerome had 28 points, five rebounds and three assists off the bench. He shot 62.5 percent from deep and had the most attempts from the 3-point area with eight.
Following the win, the backcourt duo of Mitchell and Jerome received applause from former NBA player Kendrick Perkins. He posted his thoughts on X (formerly Twitter).
“Mitchell set the tone all across the board for the Cavs… the scoring, his defense and the lil things like hitting the floor for 50/50 balls. That Ty Jerome been balling all season but he’s definitely showing us he’s ready for the bright lights,” Perkins posted on social media.
Mitchell set the tone all across the board for the Cavs… the scoring, his defense and the lil things like hitting the floor for 50/50 balls. That Ty Jerome been balling all season but he’s definitely showing us he’s ready for the bright lights.
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) April 21, 2025
For Miami, All-Star guard Tyler Herro had difficulty making shots on the floor. Herro finished with 21 points but had to work hard for it. He shot 7-for-18 from the field and logged a -18 in the box plus/minus.
Mitchell gave credit to the backup guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers
A big part of why the Cleveland Cavaliers won Game 1 was because of the effort that Jerome displayed. With his limited time as a backup point guard, the 6-foot-5 guard makes the most of the chances he’s given. After the game, Mitchell credited the work the former Golden State Warriors guard has put in for their team, as he’s always a reliable player for the Cavs.
“That’s who Ty is, the ultimate confidence guy. That’s what makes us special. It can be anybody any night,” Mitchell said.
His scoring outburst led him to make history and join a list. Jerome became the fourth player to score that many points off the bench since 1971. He joins Malik Monk, Ben Gordon and Bill Ray Bates as the only players to do so.
Ty Jerome’s 28 points tonight are the fourth-most by a player off the bench in a playoff game since 1971:
1) Malik Monk (SAC, 2023) – 32 PTS
2) Ben Gordon (CHI, 2005) – 30 PTS
3) Bill Ray Bates (POR, 1980) – 29 PTS
4) Ty Jerome (CLE, 2025) – 28 PTS— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) April 21, 2025
Jerome is having one of the best years of his career. Before the start of Game 1, the league announced the finalists for the Sixth Man of the Year and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ backup guard is among the finalists.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
