Despite a strong showing from Bam Adebayo, the Miami Heat's offensive struggles and depleted roster couldn't overcome the Portland Trail Blazers' early dominance and hot shooting.
Portland, OR - The Miami Heat sought to establish momentum for the rest of the West Coast road trip following Tuesday night's victory against the Sacramento Kings, with a final score of 130-117. Bam Adebayo recorded 25 points, four three-pointers made, seven rebounds, five assists, a steal, and a block in 30 minutes. The team finished with 21 three-pointers made on 50 percent shooting.
However, on Thursday night against the Portland Trail Blazers, the rotation would get thinner. Second-year center Kel'el Ware traveled back to Miami to treat a hamstring injury. He's unlikely to return for the final stretch of the road trip, a back-to-back against the Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns.
Tyler Herro remained sidelined due to a costochondral rib injury. Also, Davion Mitchell was out due to a left shoulder contusion. The Blazers were without Damian Lillard (left Achilles tendon recovery), Matisse Thybulle (right knee tendinopathy), Blake Wesley (right foot fracture), Scott Henderson (left hamstring tear), and Kris Murray (lumbar strain).
The starting lineups:
Heat: Kasparas Jakucionis-Norman Powell-Pelle Larsson-Andrew Wiggins-Bam Adebayo
Blazers: Jrue Holiday-Shaedon Sharpe-Toumani Camara-Deni Avdija-Donovan Clingan
It was time for tipoff and after a sloppy, slow start from both teams, Deni Avdija was the first to punch the scoreboard with a driving layup to the rim. Shortly after, the Blazers sparked a 21-7 run, including five three-pointers made. They established dominance early, grabbing 16 first-quarter rebounds, scoring 18 points in the paint.
The Blazers led 38-31 after the first 12 minutes of regulation.
However, the Heat didn't step away without a fight. Despite the struggles from behind the arc, they responded with the Blazers' success in the first quarter, scoring 22 points in the paint.
The score was 64-63 at the end of the second quarter with the Heat trailing.
After slipping the game away, the Blazers responded quickly in the third quarter with a 23-4 run, including five three-pointers. The Heat managed to close the quarter with a 12-2 run, seven points coming from Simone Fontecchio.
The score was 103-92, with the Blazers holding the advantage.
The Heat's struggles from three-point range continued to linger, especially throughout the fourth quarter, which led to a significant deficit. The final score was 127-110.
Adebayo had another great performance: 32 points, a new season high, 10 rebounds, two assists, three steals, and a block in 37 minutes. Fontecchio followed with 17 points, led the team with three three-pointers made, four rebounds, three assists, and a steal in 25 minutes coming off the bench.
The Heat's three-point percentage finished at 20 percent, the eighth time this season the team shot under 30 percent.
The Blazers had four starters score in double figures, 13 three-pointers between them. Undrafted rookie Caleb Love finished with 20 points, four three-pointers made, four rebounds, and four assists in 34 minutes.
"We have to find a way to be able to win games if we're not necessarily making shots or making threes," Erik Spoelstra said. "Our defense, we have to get that back on track. We've had nine straight games now where we've given up over 115 points and that's now a winning formula for us."
The Heat's record falls to 23-22, eighth in the Eastern Conference standings, with two games remaining on the West Coast trip. They will face the Jazz on Saturday night, with third-year guard Keyonte George on an All-Star trajectory, averaging 24.4 points, four rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 1.1 steals per game.
The regular season is past the mid-point, with the Heat at risk of falling in the Eastern Conference standings.
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