Cavs rookie Meleek Thomas goes off for 35 points in win over Heat

The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Miami Heat 90-73 in their first win of the 2026 Las Vegas Summer League. They were led by rookie Meleek Thomas, who was on fire from start to finish and ended the game with 35 points.

Thomas set the tone early by scoring 11 points in the first seven minutes. His on-ball shot-creation is a standout. Thomas has looked comfortable navigating the floor and dribbling into some supremely confident jumpers. This pull-up from near the logo is an example:

Thomas continued to dig deeper into his bag as the game went on. He nailed a flurry of floaters and mid-range jumpers in the second half. These shot attempts offer a valuable counter for when defenses are packing the paint.

You never want to rely entirely on the mid-range, but a skilled shooter can punish teams that make it too easy for them.

Thomas tied the franchise record for points in a summer league game and fell just seven points shy of matching the overall record of 42 points in a single game. He didn’t seem to care, however.

“Just get a win, that’s all,” said Thomas, who had 21 points at halftime. “Not really worried about the accolades, if it happens it happens, I wanna win this game.”

This has been a strong summer for Thomas. The 34th pick has shown elite scoring touch and a level of playmaking that I didn’t know he had. Of course, we take all of this with a grain of salt. But you have my permission to get carried away and start buying as much Thomas stock as you can.

Other standouts from tonight include Ernest Udeh Jr, who played his best game of the summer. Udeh was highly active, scoring 8 points, grabbing 7 rebounds, and blocking 4 shots.

Jaxson Robinson and Malaki Branham also contributed double-digit scoring figures. Robinson had 13 points and 6 rebounds while Branham scored 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting.

The Cavs closed the door early in the fourth quarter and earned their first win of the tournament. They’ll play again on Wednesday, this time against the New Orleans Pelicans at 5:30 PM. This is their last game before the knockout round begins.