By Johnny Askounis/ [email protected]
Nikola Jovic scored a game-high 24 points as the Miami Heat bowed out of the 2025 NBA Playoffs presented by Google.
Extending dominating displays into Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals best-of-seven series, the Cleveland Cavaliers settled with a 138-83 victory in Kaseya Center and completed a sweep on Monday.
“We started badly, from the jump. We weren’t there. It felt like we let off the rope,” the 21-year-old Serbian forward talked about the last team showing in the 2024-25 journey, “It’s just not a great way to end the season, especially having all our fans here and everybody cheering for us.”
“We lost the second game. It was pretty close. Down 2-0, I think mentally we just weren’t’ stable enough to come back and see how we can win the series,” added Jovic in a postgame media session.
Logging 29 minutes, he made 8/15 from the field, including four three-pointers. His efforts expanded into five rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block.
“It’s been a long season. We had our ups and downs. I got injured halfway through the season. I came back in time for the Playoffs. The truth is, I haven’t looked great. I haven’t helped this team as much as they needed me to help them,” he described recovering from a hand fracture to resurface in the postseason, “I can never be happy because of the way we finished the season.”
“I don’t think it’s a failure of a season. I think everybody just learned a lot, no matter what. We didn’t accomplish what we wanted to, but we still learned a lot from it,” he summed up the season.
Following elimination, Jovic also discussed his future with the Heat. His contract is guaranteed until the end of the 2025-26 season.
“They helped me, not just become a better basketball player, but a better person too,” he stressed, “This is my second home. This is where I kind of grew from boy to man. Of course, I would love to stay. But things change. Everything can change. If I learned one thing this year, it’s that this is more than just basketball. It’s a business, too. I’ll control what I can control and be better this summer.”
A second European reserve for head coach Erik Spoelstra, Swedish Pelle Larsson wrapped up his rookie campaign with 12 points behind 5/8 field goals, five rebounds, and three assists over 23 minutes.
2025 NBA Playoffs presented by Google
Conference Quarterfinals (best-of-seven)
East
Cleveland Cavaliers – Miami Heat 4-0 (121-100, 121-112, 124-87, 138-83)
Boston Celtics – Orlando Magic 3-1 (103-86, 109-100, 93-95, 107-98)
New York Knicks – Detroit Pistons 3-1 (123-112, 94-100, 118-116, 94-93)
Indiana Pacers – Milwaukee Bucks 3-1 (117-98, 123-115, 101-117, 129-103)
West
Oklahoma City Thunder – Memphis Grizzlies 4-0 (131-80, 118-99, 114-108, 117-115)
Houston Rockets – Golden State Warriors 1-3 (85-95, 109-94, 93-104, 106-109)
Los Angeles Lakers – Minnesota Timberwolves 1-3 (95-117, 94-85, 104-116, 113-116)
Denver Nuggets – Los Angeles Clippers 2-2 (112-110, 102-105, 83-117, 101-99)