(Mandatory Credit: Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Portland Trail Blazers blew past the shorthanded Miami Heat, ultimately securing a 127-110 win inside Moda Center.
While Blazers star Deni Avdija exited the game mere minutes into the second half, Portland outscored Miami 63-47 over the final two quarters, including 39-29 in the third quarter alone. The Blazers scored at least 38 points in two separate quarters, getting whatever they wanted against an otherwise flimsy Heat defense.
Avdija was just one of three Blazers 20-point scorers. Undrafted rookie Caleb Love had 20 points off the bench, while Shaedon Sharpe exploded in the second half, tallying 27 points on 5-of-9 shooting from deep with seven rebounds and four steals across 34 minutes.
The Heat’s 17-point loss drops them to 1-2 on this five-game West Coast road trip. Their defense has not been up to par, but perhaps the biggest differentiators in this game came on the glass and from beyond the arc.
Miami finished a minus-12 on the glass while Portland more than doubled them up (20-9) from beyond the arc. Bam Adebayo had a team-high 32 points and 10 boards on 13-of-24 shooting; Simone Fontecchio had 17 points off the bench while Norman Powell also scored 18.
The Heat were shorthanded, but they must find a way to be more consistent from 3-point range while also getting back to their bread and butter on the defensive end. Even in their 13-point win against Sacramento earlier this week, their defense was far from perfect. This loss exacerbated it.
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