2 Cavaliers who cooked, 3 who burnt out in exhausted loss to Heat

Jarrett Allen was burnt out

Jarrett Allen was absolutely dominant in his last two games entering Wednesday, with a historic plus-minus against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, followed up with a strong showing against Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers. His size and movement on defense allow the Cavs to matchup up with a wide variety of opponents.

The aftermath of those victories, however, was a Jarrett Allen who was clearly exhausted. He was largely invisible on offense, shooting 1-for-2 from the field for four points. He had only four rebounds, and chipped in four turnovers, a few of which were mental mistakes he may not have made in a different circumstance. Add it all up and you have an explanation for his game-worst -24 plus-minus.

Darius Garland was contained

Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell are still learning how to complement one another's games when sharing the court. With Mitchell sidelined over the past few games it was a chance for Garland to spread his wings and run the offense. That worked extremely well against the Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers, but Garland didn't have it back home agiainst the Heat.

Garland finished the game with 14 points, taking just two 3-pointers and matching turnovers (3) with assists (3). He couldn't find a rhythm against the Heat's amorphous defensive looks. With Mitchell out, Garland has to step up and be the number one option each game; he was not on Wednesday.

Emoni Bates was outmatched

The Cavaliers had their full complement of two-way players available against the Heat, and so Bickerstaff was able to put all three on the floor for much of the fourth quarter. Craig Porter Jr. didn't only play but he started, but at the other end of the spectrum was Emoni Bates.

Bates shot 1-for-5 from deep; it's a small sample-size, but if he isn't making shots he is a liability because of his poor defense and athleticism. His shots were largely not great in-rhythm looks but rather 3-pointers that he tried to create off-the-dribble.

There are many inside the Cavaliers organization and outside who believe Bates can develop into a future starter. If that hope is ever to be realized, he likely has to begin by finding ways other than shooting to help his team win. Agaisnt the Heat, Bates and largely the entire team just didn't have it.