The Miami Heat mount a late comeback but fall short in Portland, 115-99.
The shorthanded Miami Heat did everything within their power as they ran into one of the hottest teams in the league, to kick off a short three-game west coast road trip.
The Portland Trailblazers entered the night winners of nine in a row, vaulting them to third in the Western Conference, facing a Heat team without Hassan Whiteside and Dwyane Wade.
The Blazers handled their business, holding off the Heat 115-99, despite a frantic rally in the fourth quarter that saw Miami pull within six, before Damian Lillard poured in several 3’s to push Portland’s winning streak to ten.
Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic took advantage of Whiteside’s absence from the opening tip, attacking Bam Adebayo in the pick and roll, on the way to one of his best games of the season (27 points, 16 rebounds). Adebayo had one of those rare nights where he truly looked like a rookie, struggling with Nurkic’s size and activity. Adebayo finished with just four points on 1-for-10 shooting.
The Heat’s struggle came on both ends of the floor, until their rally to erase a 19-point deficit.
In the first half, the Blazers dictated the pace much like the Los Angeles Lakers did in their blowout win in Miami. Lillard and CJ McCollum were easily able to get into their offense after Heat misses (the Heat helped them out by shooting just 35 percent in the first half), and the Heat defense was left scrambling.
Goran Dragic kept the Heat afloat early, finishing with a team-leading 23 points.
Much of this game was headlined by the fact that the Heat were just a few bodies short, particularly the inside presence of Whiteside and the playmaking of Wade. While the run in the fourth quarter will be overlooked due to the loss, it was an important step in Justise Winslow’s development, who stood out all night long particularly on the defensive end.
In the fourth quarter, Winslow led the Heat on a 15-2 run, including a personal 7-0 run to all but erase the deficit that previously stood at 19.
Serving as the primary ballhandler, Winslow showcased a flurry of skills on both sides of the floor, scoring 10 points while adding a pair of assists and blocks. It was yet another step in the evolution of his game.
Over his last ten games, Winslow is shooting 56 percent (on almost three attempts per game) from downtown and operating with a 14.3 net rating. In that span, when Winslow leaves the floor, the Heat’s defensive rating skyrockets from 98.3 to 112.4. He is the team’s most important player at this juncture and performances like this one in Portland continue to show that.
Next: The Miami Heat Tip Off, Week Four: Time to take advantage
The Heat’s three-game trip out west continues on Wednesday night, with a visit to the struggling Sacramento Kings.