Donovan Mitchell had high praises to give to Ty Jerome after his huge performance in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 121-100 victory over the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the East First Round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs on Sunday night.
In 26 minutes of action off the bench, Jerome finished with a stat line of 28 points, five rebounds and three assists. He shot 10-of-15 from the field, including 5-of-8 from beyond the arc, and 3-of-5 from the free-throw line.
Mitchell reacted to Jerome’s scoring explosion after the game. Knowing that he scored 16 of those points in the fourth quarter, he put a very positive label on his teammate.
“That’s who Ty is… ultimate confidence guy,” Mitchell said.
It was big for Ty Jerome to have that performance to help Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs come out victorious to begin their playoff journey.
Cleveland is coming off a historic regular season, achieving 64 wins throughout the campaign. It’s the most the team won outside of the LeBron James era, proving their case for a big playoff run. Jerome played a solid role, making a case for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award in the process.
The Cavaliers needed Jerome’s standout performance in the fourth quarter to pull away with the win over the Heat. They outscored their opponents 34-21 in the final 12 minutes, showing their ability to make key plays on both sides of the ball against a pesky squad.
Four players scored in double-digits on Cleveland’s behalf, including Jerome. Donovan Mitchell shined with a stat line of 30 points, five rebounds and four assists. He shot 11-of-19 from the field, including 2-of-9 from beyond the arc, and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line. Darius Garland came next with 27 points and five assists, while Jarrett Allen provided 12 points and 11 rebounds.
The Cavs will look to take a 2-0 series lead when they host the Heat in Game 2. The contest will take place on April 23 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
