NBA DFS Picks for the Playoffs: Cavaliers vs Heat – Game 4

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat will play Game 4 of their Eastern Conference playoff series in Miami at the Kaseya Center tonight. The Cavaliers are up a whopping 3-0 in the series and can wrap it up with a win in Miami, but the Heat will have to win four straight games to advance. It’s certainly a tall order against the 64-win Cavaliers, but it’s not impossible. 

Let’s dive into this matchup while recapping Game 3 and making a pick for Cavaliers vs Heat in Game 4.

Cavaliers vs Heat Game 3 Recap

The first game of the series in Miami was all Cleveland. The Cavaliers won 124-87 over the Heat, giving Miami its worst playoff loss since Game 3 of the 2013 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs. Miami was up 15-6 early on, but Cleveland went on an impressive 33-5 run into the second quarter, with the Cavaliers never leading by less than 16 points at any point in the game. Miami was out-rebounded and outclassed in Game 3, put. With newly minted 2025 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley harassing the Heat at every junction, Cleveland shut down Miami in the paint and defended the perimeter well when Mobley switched up. 

The Cavaliers shot 54% from the field and spread the scoring effort amongst the team, with six players scoring in double-digits. Cleveland ruled out Darius Garland for Game 3 with a toe injury, but it didn’t matter. Jarrett Allen led the way with 22 points and 10 rebounds and Max Strus wasn’t too far behind him with 18 points and 9 rebounds. Donovan Mitchell didn’t shoot too well, with just 13 points on 4-of-14 shooting, but with this kind of dominant team effort, his usual offensive output wasn’t needed as much. The Cavaliers’ win was thanks to their prowess in the paint as they outscored the Heat 60-30 in Game 3.

Cavaliers vs Heat Game 4 DFS Picks

For Game 4, the Heat will have to dig in and put forth an urgent defensive effort on their home court, as it’s do or die for their season. For the Cavaliers, it’s about finishing the job and making this series a clean sweep to get some rest for their next opponent with a win. Even with the game in Miami, the Cavaliers had the third-best record away from home in the NBA during the regular season.

The Heat can claw their way back into this series, but it IS improbable. No team has ever rallied from a three-game deficit to win a best-of-seven playoff series. Of the four times the Heat have faced an elimination game in Game 4, they are 2-2 in their franchise history.

Looking at Game 4 from a DFS lens, it’s difficult not to ride with the Cavaliers as the unstoppable train goes through South Florida. Cavaliers’ star Donovan Mitchell didn’t have a great shooting night in Game 3, but what he did well was shoot 3-of-8 from behind the arc. Sometimes, it’s just not your night. Before Game 3, Mitchell scored 30 points in the two other games in this series, with seven makes from three-point land in Game 2.

Cleveland’s leader has only scored fewer than 20 points in back-to-back games four times all season, so I anticipate he will bounce back tonight. We’ll be taking Mitchell to get back into a groove with his shooting from three and leading the charge for Cleveland as they close out the series.

Our Pick: Donovan Mitchell to Record 26+ Points