The Cleveland Cavaliers dismantled the Miami Heat to secure a dominant 4-0 series sweep and advance to the next round of the NBA playoffs on Monday, while the Golden State Warriors edged past the Houston Rockets 109-106, moving one step closer to a series victory.
After crushing Miami 124-87 in Game 3 on Saturday, the top-seeded Cavaliers were relentless in Game 4, delivering a 138-83 blowout, the largest series-clinching win in NBA playoff history.
The victory sets up a matchup against either the Indiana Pacers or Milwaukee Bucks in the next round. Donovan Mitchell led the charge for Cleveland with 22 points, while six Cavaliers players finished in double figures, including De'Andre Hunter (19), Ty Jerome (18), and Evan Mobley (17), as they overcame the absence of Darius Garland (toe).
Mitchell said Cleveland had been determined to wrap up the series swiftly.
"We came out here with a goal in mind," Mitchell told TNT. "To keep our foot on their throat and on their neck and continue to play 48 minutes of basketball."
That ruthlessness was apparent from the tip-off, with Cleveland rapidly opening up a monster 43-17 lead after the first quarter against a shell-shocked Miami.
The Cavs cranked up the pressure in the second quarter, stretching their lead to as many as 45 points before reaching halftime with a whopping 72-33 lead.
The punishment continued after the break, with the Cavaliers keeping the points flowing to build on their advantage, opening up a 48-point lead at 96-48 midway through the third quarter.
That lead had grown to 111-63 heading into the fourth quarter, and the carnage continued in the final frame as Cleveland romped home.
Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said the series loss underscored the gulf between the two teams.
"Damn, it was humbling," Spoelstra said. "This series was humbling. These last two games were embarrassing. But Cleveland is a very good team... we were as irrational as we usually are thinking that we have a chance to win this series, and they showed us why we weren't ready for that."
In Monday's other playoff game, Jimmy Butler made a dazzling return from injury to lead the Warriors past the Rockets in San Francisco.
Butler, who was injured in a controversial incident in Game 2 last week and missed Game 3 with a pelvic contusion, scored 27 points to help Golden State take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
The ill-tempered contest frequently threatened to boil over, with several shoving matches erupting at different periods of the hard-fought game at the Chase Center.
While Stephen Curry had a quiet night with 17 points, Brandin Podziemski sank six of 11 three-pointers to finish with 26 points.
Houston led by seven early in the second half but saw that lead whittled away after an inspired 18-1 run by Golden State that put the home side in control.
While Houston fought back to open up a four-point lead late in the fourth, Golden State rallied to regain the initiative with five late Butler free throws to seal the victory.
"Jimmy was just amazing," Golden State coach Steve Kerr said, revealing that the 35-year-old, six-time NBA All-Star had played through pain from his pelvic injury.
"If it were the regular season, he'd probably miss another week or two, but it's the playoffs and he's Jimmy Butler," Kerr added.
Butler, whose arrival from Miami in February breathed new life into Golden State's season, said his move had reignited his love for basketball.
"I would die for these guys," Butler told TNT. "I got my joy back. I always say that we got the most confident guys. Anybody can put the ball in the basket, but more than anything, we're locking in defensively, and when we limit our turnovers, we're hard to beat."
