The Cavs stunned the Heat 125-119 to avoid the season sweep. They outscored Miami 14-8 in overtime to get the win.
Heat guard Goran Dragic answered with a layup of his own. Porter went 1-for-2 from the free throw line and Miami took advantage. Kendrick Nunn made a 3-foot jump shot in the closing seconds to force overtime.
The Cavaliers trailed by one in the extra frame, but Porter changed that with a two-handed dunk that gave the home team a 119-118 lead with 1:20 remaining.
Cleveland got a stop on defense and Garland came up big again in crunch time. He used a crafty pump fake to get free for a short jump shot that gave the Cavs a 121-118 lead with 42 remaining.
The Cavaliers outscored the Heat 45-20 in the fourth quarter and overtime, relying on their defensie to complete the comeback.
Garland finished with 14 points, five rebounds and seven assists. Porter added eight rebounds and three assists.
Seven players scored 10 or more points for Cleveland. Their balanced attack helped them overcome a lackluster start. The Heat went on a 10-0 run to start the game and didn’t trail until the fourth quarter.
Kevin Love finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds. Tristan Thompson had 15 points and nine rebounds off the bench.
Dante Exum sprained his left ankle in the second quarter. He tried to walk off the floor under his own power, but fell back onto the court and needed assistance back to the Cavaliers locker room.
Heat All-Star Bam Adebayo got the best of Andre Drummond for a second straight matchup. Adebayo finished with 22 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists.
The Cavaliers play the 76ers on Wednesday at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.