The Portland Trail Blazers walked into Moda Center on Sunday night in hopes of a convincing victory over the humble Detroit Pistons with another against the significantly lesser Miami Heat. The Blazers had won three weeks in Miami before, but it was against a Heat team without Jimmy Butler. The Heat star was back tonight and Miami’s defense was in full shape. The visitors beat Damian Lillard and the Blazers, bruised and suffocated and kept Portland up to 31.4% of the arc. The result was a 107-98 victory in Miami.
Damian Lillard scored 12 in the loss, shooting 3-10 and 3-8 from three points. He only tried 4 free throws. Jusuf Nurkic returned to the starting lineup and added an effective 9 rebounds and 3 blocks in 22 minutes. Butler’s stat line read 20 points, 4 steals, 5 assists and 4 rebounds in 36 minutes. Heat guard Victor Oladipo did not play this match.
First term
On the return, the Blazers tried to force the ball to Nurkic. Eventually, they committed three turnovers in their first three possessions. A few layups, one by Nurkic and the other by a Nurk assistant, corrected the ship. Nurkic also played a good defense on the other side and even counted a block. It delivered an 11-0 run that controlled the Blazers starters in the game. Some more proof of turnover was the only mistake in an otherwise decent start.
Enes Kanter grabbed rebounds and scored inside when his shift started. However, Portland’s defense of the second unit could not meet the standard of excellence. Miami indulged in dunks and short jumpers. The Blazers made enough with tries and quick interruptions. At the end of the quarter, they managed the ‘three forwards’ unit (Nassir Little, Derrick Jones, Jr. and Carmelo Anthony) to balance their starting lineup with three guards. Points were slightly harder to come by. However, the inner defense was slightly better. When the smoke cleared, the Blazers committed 7 turnovers, but they still led 31-25.
Second term
The Heat played physically to start the second period. Portland had trouble responding. Jones, Jr., was the obvious player Miami was willing to leave. He succeeded and repaid effectively. All the others struggled. The Blazers also continued to turn the ball around. Easy scores of runs helped the Heat catch up with the scoreboard, which they did at the point at 8 p.m. Nurkic was the only Blazers player to provide inside defense. However, he could not be equal everywhere. Portland shooting 30% of the three-point arc does not help. The Heat do not have such problems. A few tries preceded them. Lillard and McCollum brought them back while pushing pace, but the Blazers were really happy that the Heat started to miss wide-ranging tries. Otherwise Miami would have recorded 20.. The Blazers were not so happy when Nurkic went to the locker room with a backlash. He would return for the second half, but his team missed him. Miami led 56-48 at halftime.
Third term
Turnover for Portland and easy shots for Miami made the hole deeper when the third quarter began. The Heat showed how to take over a game with defense. Portland forced to elevate the disputed shots … when they got a shot in the first place. The Heat rose 15 before three minutes had elapsed. Norman Powell responded with a lay-up and dunk, but the Blazers did not prevent Miami from scoring, so the easy shots did not reduce the margin. The final insult came at 5:30 a.m. when Duncan Robinson hit a try from Lillard’s logo spot, pushing the Heat up 15 again after a modest Portland flurry. Lillard kept trying to pull Portland back, but Miami made him look and look. The ball does not move at the end of Portland, which facilitates the task of Heat. Portland got another blow when Kanter collided with Jones Jr.’s shoulder on a ride and received a substantial blow to the head. Miami led 89-71 after three.
Fourth term
Kanter returned in the fourth period, fortunately without a concussion, but by the time he did, Miami’s defense – along with their ability to score occasionally – brought them to 20. every Portland ride had great physical contact. The story just did not change, nor did the results. Head coach Terry Stotts won the starter 4:34 and Portland 99-80. The deep reserves succeeded really well, but it was not enough to threaten.
The Blazers committed 17 times in the game, well above their season average of 11.3.
Miami shot 49.4% from the field, 41.4% from distance.
Following
Stay tuned for Steve Dewald’s immediate summary!
Goal scorer
The Blazers welcome Boston Celtics Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in the Pacific