NBA 2K predicts that Miami Heat will outlast Portland in marathon

The Miami Heat head to Portland for game 3 of 5 on the road to close out the first half of the season. What NBA 2K have to say about Sunday night’s matchup?

The Miami Heat are hanging out west for a while before six of its players head to Chicago for all-star weekend. So far, this road trip has produced two ticks in the loss column and an injury to Jimmy Butler against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Head coach Erik Spoelstra was on the record with Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel prior to the run-out saying he wanted the squad to “Take a step forward,” but that was before starting center Meyers Leonard suffered an ankle injury which subsequently left him in Miami while the team traveled out west.

The Portland Trailblazers will be hungry after a very controversial loss to the Utah Jazz on a very apparent Rudy Gobert missed goaltending call. Star point guard Damian Lillard hasn’t stopped talking about it, and although it occurred on the day prior to this writing, the impact has been felt throughout the league since it happened.

This will be Miami’s second and final matchup against Blazers, and I’m sure Hassan Whiteside will look to have yet another statement game as he did a month ago where he dropped a cool 21 points and 18 rebounds.

Portland needs all the wins they can get since they’ve been hovering near the basement of the Western Conference. They’ve been able to work their way up to the ninth seed but are currently two and a half games behind the eighth-place Memphis Grizzlies.

From here on out, every win counts and to add insult to injury, ESPN has them with the third hardest remaining schedule. They have to start climbing out of the ninth seed or they’re in big trouble.

Since this is the first Heat simulation after the trade deadline has passed, you can expect the rotation to be very different. Miami made two trades near the deadline, while simultaneously signing one of those players long term in the process.

Team President Pat Riley was able to move James Johnson, Dion Waiters, and the apple of heat nation’s eye, Justise Winslow and in return, received Jae Crowder, Solomon Hill, and the ever so coveted Andre Iguodala. This simulation will reflect what Head Coach Erik Spoelstra has said, the team’s new additions will be available in Portland. This will only serve as a taste of the new squad as Leonard, Butler, and Tyler Herro all remain out.

If you want to see the simulation for yourself, the latest video on my YouTube channel will have the footage uninterrupted. There you’ll be able to see the adjustments I made.

Starting Lineup

Miami Heat

Point guard, Kendrick Nunn

Shooting guard, Duncan Robinson

Small forward, Jae Crowder

Power forward, Bam Adebayo

Center, Kelly Olynyk

Portland Trailblazers

Point Guard, Damian Lillard

Shooting guard, C.J. McCollum

Small forward, Trevor Ariza

Power forward, Carmelo Anthony

Center, Hassan Whiteside

Outcome

Miami Heat 114, Portland Trailblazers 103

The Heat took care of business in this one, which you might want to start expecting more often with a full slew of healthy guys being available for this matchup (11 if you include Udonis Haslem). That number will increase to 13/14 once some of the main contributors heal up. The abundance of available bodies is a challenge Coach Spoelstra would love to have; it just needs to be managed appropriately.

The first half was a breeze for the Heat as they made it to the break with a 10 point lead. With the keys to the franchise in his hands, all-star forward Bam Adebayo was already up to 16 points and eight rebounds at this point, completely setting the tone for the team.

Duncan Robinson had nine points, but only one of his four made shots was a 3-pointer. An adjustment will be made to his tendencies following this game.

The Heat managed to survive a 12 free throw attempt half by the Trailblazers. That was made possible by the 53-percent shooting and the four 3-pointers made. The Heat were packing it inside while keeping the turnovers down with only four in the first half.

The Heat came out sluggish in the third quarter. You know, as they do.

The Blazers went on a 17-6 run to start the second half and actually took a one-point lead. That was about all she wrote for Portland though as they never led again and the Heat ballooned their lead up to 15.

They may have lost the fourth quarter by two, but that doesn’t matter because they won their first three quarters. As Jay Z would say, “On to the next.”

Player stats

Miami Heat

Bam Adebayo – 28 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks

Goran Dragic – 26 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal

Kendrick Nunn – 15 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists

Duncan Robinson – 11 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 2 steals

Jae Crowder – 9 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists

Dishonorable mention: Andre Iguodala – 2 points on 1-of-7 shooting. No steals, no blocks.

Portland Trailblazers

C.J. McCollum – 29 points, 1 rebound, 5 assists, 2 blocks

Damian Lillard – 21 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 block

Carmelo Anthony – 15 points, 5 rebounds

Mario Hezonja – 13 points, 8 rebounds

Hassan Whiteside – 10 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists (this can’t be real), 2 blocks

This win is very promising considering who the Heat were missing during this simulation. After the All-Star break, the roster should be full of players ready to make an NBA Finals push.

Once the festivities in Chicago are over, I’ll be making adjustments to badges, attributes, and tendencies to more accurately reflect the six players that the Miami Heat are sending to The Windy City to have representing The Culture.