Miami Heat vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: Game Grades and Analysis for Heat

Returning to Cleveland as a member of the opposition for the fifth time in his career, LeBron James led the Miami Heat (12-3) to their eighth straight win with a 95-84 victory over the Cavaliers (4-11) on Wednesday night.

James, who had a line of 28 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, is now 11-1 all-time against his former team.

Defense played a huge part in Miami's success on this night. The Heat forced the Cavs into 19 turnovers and held them to just 34.9 percent shooting.

Dwyane Wade had 22 points for the Heat, while Michael Beasley chipped in 17 points and nine rebounds off the bench.

Dion Waiters, who has been mentioned in trade rumors lately by Chris Broussard of ESPN, led the Cavaliers with 24 points and four three-pointers, while Kyrie Irving had 16 points on a mediocre 6-of-19 from the field. 

Key Players

LeBron James, Small Forward

"The King" just loves going up against his former team. In 11 games since leaving the franchise back in the summer of 2010, James is averaging 26.5 points on 49.3 percent shooting, along with 6.9 rebounds and 7.3 assists. 

It was obvious from the very beginning that Cleveland was making James its top priority. You can never fully stop the four-time NBA MVP. All you can hope to do is contain him.

In the first quarter, the Cavaliers did just that. All James contributed was three points on 1-of-3 shooting.

The second quarter was a different story. He was more aggressive in getting to the basket and putting points on the board. By halftime, James had 12 points, three rebounds and five assists, thus extending his streak of double-digit scoring games to 510.

He even had 15 straight points for the Heat at one point. James had 12 of the Heat's 21 points in the third quarter.

A post-up fadeaway jumper on Dion Waiters sealed the deal for Miami late.

James led all scorers with 28 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, barely missing out on a triple-double.

His 60.9 field-goal percentage on the season may take a hit after James went 9-of-19 against Cleveland, but that's just nitpicking. 

Final Grade: A

Dwyane Wade, Shooting Guard

While LeBron James was the primary focus of the Cavaliers defense early on, Dwyane Wade was able to work his magic more freely on offense, especially in the paint. Wade hit three of his first four shots for eight points and one assist in the first quarter. He was the only player on the Heat to give the team much of anything in the opening 12 minutes.

He finished the first half with 12 points, tying him with James for the team lead.

The first offensive rebound of the night came off a Ray Allen miss under the basket. It fell right into Wade's hands.

He was never going to have much of a problem with rookie Matthew Dellavedova defending him.

It's as if he couldn't miss. He shot 10-of-14 from the floor for 22 points. His six turnovers will make you frown, but they ultimately didn't hurt the team.

Final Grade: A

Chris Bosh, Center

The first half was all about Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, so Chris Bosh didn't bring much to the table with his 1-of-3 shooting for just two points.

If not for James, his third quarter could have been a lot worse. A few crisp passes from his MVP teammate allowed for easy looks around the rim, bringing his scoring total up to six at the end of 36 minutes.

Those were the final points he would score for the game.

He did have two stellar blocks in the fourth quarter and an assist to Michael Beasley for the jam.

Bosh finished the night with six points, seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks.

Final Grade: C+

Mario Chalmers, Point Guard

There's not much to say about Mario Chalmers on this occasion.

Three points, three rebounds and two assists while going 0-of-3 from three-point range won't inspire any confidence, but playing late in the game alongside LeBron James and Dwyane Wade will.

Norris Cole has been getting plenty of run for Erik Spoelstra, so it was nice to see Chalmers out there in key moments, even if the outcome was already decided.

Grade: C-

Rashard Lewis, Power Forward

With Shane Battier battling the flu, 16-year veteran Rashard Lewis started the game at power forward. Rather than go with Udonis Haslem, who didn't play at all, head coach Erik Spoelstra went with Lewis to give the Heat more spacing in the starting lineup. 

Lewis, who was shooting 35.7 on three-pointers heading into Wednesday, was supposed to knock shots down and space the floor.

Well, that didn't happen against the Cavaliers. Lewis missed both of his attempts from behind the arc, finishing the game with four points.

His biggest contribution to the team came on the defensive end. Lewis stole the ball three times.

Final Grade: C

Michael Beasley, Sixth Man

In 26 minutes of action, Michael Beasley put up a near double-double of 17 points and nine rebounds.

As the season progresses, his confidence is continuing to grow. His teammates are trusting him,, and his attitude towards all things basketball has been absolutely tremendous. Beasley is playing aggressively and making smart decisions while on the court. 

To close this game out, he grabbed a LeBron James miss and threw it down with authority. 

Terrific performance from the former No. 2 overall pick. 

Final Grade: A

Bench

Miami's bench wasn't nearly as prolific as Cleveland's. The Cavs had three players score in double-figures.

But Norris Cole and Ray Allen still had solid outings.

The only negative to their play was that the Cavaliers managed to stick around and cut into the Heat lead in short spurts. The bench was never really able to put its foot down and cement the victory.

Cole finished with six points, with both of his makes coming from three-point range. He has really improved his shooting from behind the arc this season, shooting 43 percent, which is a nice increase over the 35.7 percent he shot last season.

Allen had seven points in 20 minutes, but he was just 1-of-4 from long range.

Rounding out the Heat bench was Chris "Birdman" Anderson, who grabbed five rebounds and blocked two shots.

Final Grade: B-

What's Next? 

The Miami Heat will close out the month with a trip North of the border to face the Toronto Raptors at the Air Canada Centre on November 29.

December kicks off with three straight games against the No. 5, 6 and 7 teams (as of November 27) in the Eastern Conference. The defending NBA champions will host the Charlotte Bobcats on December 1 and the Detroit Pistons on December 3. 

They will then travel to the United Center to take on the Derrick Rose-less Chicago Bulls on December 5. 

Follow Christopher Walder on Twitter at @WalderSports.