CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Cavaliers came into the NBA playoffs as one of four teams tied for the most 3-pointers in a quarter.
On Wednesday night, they took the record for themselves.
The Cavaliers set the postseason mark with 11 3-pointers during the second period against the Miami Heat in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.
Cleveland was 11 of 16 from beyond the arc in the quarter as it jumped out to a 68-51 lead at halftime after leading by only one point at the end of the first period. The top-seeded Cavaliers were up by 19 late in the third quarter but had to survive a Heat rally en route to a 121-112 victory and 2-0 series lead.
“We’ve had a lot of moments like that this year because we have highly skilled players that can shoot. Everybody was shooting it,” coach Kenny Atkinson said. “It was beautiful to watch. We've got good passers, good connectors. There's spacing and running and dirty work involved and then the skill work takes over.”
Max Strus made three 3s while Sam Merrill, De’Andre Hunter and Donovan Mitchell had two apiece. Mitchell had five assists in the quarter, all on 3-pointers.
“It worked exactly in my head how I thought it was gonna go. When you envision what you take from Game 1 to Game 2, I thought, yeah, if I get to the paint, guys are gonna collapse. And then to see guys continually hit shots, I mean that’s just a special group,” said Mitchell, who had 30 points and seven 3-pointers. “When you have versatility like that from the 3-point line, it really makes it tough on the guard. And that’s what you saw in the second quarter.”
The Cavaliers were one of four teams to share the previous record of 10, which happened during a second-round series against Atlanta in 2016. Milwaukee, Phoenix and Utah also sank 10 during postseason games in 2021. Mitchell was on that Jazz team.
The regular-season record for 3s in a quarter is 12, which has happened six times.
Cleveland, the top seed in the East, was second in the league in 3-pointers behind Boston and second in 3-point field goal percentage behind Milwaukee during the regular season.
The Cavaliers finished 22 of 45 from beyond the arc, tied for sixth most in a playoff game.
“When that happens, you have to stay the course and become even more stubborn. There were four of them that we defended really well, but once it got to seven or eight, I think we got discouraged a little bit,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said.
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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome (2) celebrates in front of teammate Sam Merrill in the second half in Game 1 of an NBA first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat, Sunday, April 20, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome (2) gestures to fans in the second half in Game 1 of an NBA first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat, Sunday, April 20, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Max Strus (1) shouts in front of Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (45) and forward Nikola Jovic (5) after hitting a three-point basket in the first half in Game 2 of an NBA first-round playoff series, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
OSLO, Norway (AP) — Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told The Associated Press “you cannot spy against an ally” after reports that the United States has stepped up intelligence gathering on Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory coveted by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Frederiksen's comments Friday are the latest in the spat between Denmark, Greenland and the United States because Trump seeks to annex the strategic Arctic island. Denmark and Greenland insist that the mineral-rich island is not for sale, while Trump has not ruled out taking it by military force even though Denmark is a NATO ally.
The Danish prime minister spoke to the AP the day after Denmark summoned the top American diplomat in the country for an explanation following a Wall Street Journal report which said several high-ranking officials under the U.S. director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, had directed intelligence agency heads to learn more about Greenland’s independence movement and sentiment about U.S. resource extraction there.
Jennifer Hall Godfrey, acting head of the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen, met with high-ranking Danish diplomat Jeppe Tranholm-Mikkelsen at the Danish Foreign Ministry, the ministry said in an email. It provided no further details. The embassy declined to comment.
Frederiksen said Friday the report was “rumors” in an international newspaper. The Journal, cited two people familiar with the U.S. effort which it did not identify.
“Cooperation about defense and deterrence and security in the northern part of Europe is getting more and more important,” Frederiksen said. “Of course, you cannot spy against an ally.”
Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, in comments to Greenland newspaper Sermitsiaq, said the reports of espionage are unacceptable and disrespectful.
In response to questions about the Journal’s report, Gabbard’s office released a statement noting that she had made three “criminal” referrals to the Justice Department over intelligence community leaks.
“The Wall Street Journal should be ashamed of aiding deep state actors who seek to undermine the President by politicizing and leaking classified information,” Gabbard wrote. “They are breaking the law and undermining our nation’s security and democracy. Those who leak classified information will be found and held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
Greenland’s prime minister said last month that U.S. statements about the island have been disrespectful and it “will never, ever be a piece of property that can be bought by just anyone.”
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre on Friday said those who believe there is “another kind of legal regime in the Arctic” should be told that “this is not the case.”
Speaking ahead of a Joint Expeditionary Force leaders’ meeting in Oslo, Gahr Støre said there seemed to be suggestions that “in the Arctic, there is some kind of terra nullius, law doesn’t apply.”
“It applies, sovereignty applies. And Greenland is a part of the Kingdom of Denmark,” he said ahead of the meeting with the leaders of the U.K., Nordic and Baltic nations.
Ukrainian President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy joins Europe leaders via video link, during a meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) in Oslo, Friday, May 9, 2025. (Lise Åserud/NTB Scanpix via AP)
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen listens during the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) Leaders' Summit in Oslo, Friday, May 9, 2025.(AP Photo/Alastair Grant, Pool)
