Heat seek two straight wins with road matchup against Blazers

After a strong bounce back in the Miami Heat’s previous game, they will now try to secure a second straight late-night win in Portland.
(Photo via Getty Images)

On Tuesday night, the Miami Heat improved to a 23-21 record with a win against the Sacramento Kings. As their West Coast road trip continues, they will look to keep it going with a second consecutive victory in Thursday’s matchup versus the 22-22 Portland Trail Blazers.

The Blazers are suffering through a roster-wide injury hit, as they have nine rotation players on the injury report. Key pieces such as Jrue Holiday, Jerami Grant and Robert Williams are all listed as questionable. Despite those injuries, Portland has still managed to win games, though— they have won eight of their last 10 and sit at the ninth seed in the Western Conference. They’ve gotten a few days of extended rest with their last game taking place on Sunday with a win of their own over the Kings.

Kel’el Ware, who sat out with a hamstring strain in Miami’s previous matchup, is listed as questionable once again. If he isn’t able to suit up, expect even more minutes out of Bam Adebayo. Adebayo is coming off an elite offensive outing of 25 points on over 50% from the field.

The Heat already defeated the Blazers in an early season November game a few months back, and they’ve won eight of their last 10 games against Portland. In that November matchup, Deni Avdija dropped 33 points for the Blazers. Avdija has been their leading man all season long in an All-Star caliber campaign for him, averaging a career-high 26.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 6.9 assists on 47% shooting.

Injury Report (at the time of this publishing):

Portland Trail Blazers:

Jrue Holiday (calf) — QUESTIONABLE

Jerami Grant (Achilles) — QUESTIONABLE

Robert Williams ||| (knee) — QUESTIONABLE

Sidy Cissoko (illness) — QUESTIONABLE

Scoot Henderson (hamstring) — OUT

Damian Lillard (achilles) — OUT

Kris Murray (lumbar) — OUT

Matisse Thybulle (knee) — OUT

Blake Wesley (foot) — OUT

Miami Heat:

Kel’el Ware (hamstring) — QUESTIONABLE

Tyler Herro (ribs) — OUT

Jahmir Young (g-league) — OUT

Vlad Goldin (g-league) — OUT

Terry Rozier (not with team) — OUT

Projected Starting 5 (subject to change):

Portland Trail Blazers:

Deni Avdija, G

Shaedon Sharpe, G

Sidy Cissoko, F

Toumani Camara, F

Donovan Clingan, C

Miami Heat:

Davion Mitchell, G

Norman Powell, G/F

Pelle Larsson, G/F

Andrew Wiggins, F

Bam Adebayo, C

Broadcast Info:

Tipoff: 10:00 PM EST

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Sun (Eric Reid & John Crotty)

Radio: AM 560 Sports WQAM & The HEAT Radio Network (Jason Jackson)

Spanish Radio: WAQI 710 AM & The HEAT Spanish Radio Network (José Pañeda)

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Heat seek two straight wins with road matchup against Blazers

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