The Portland Trail Blazers, as we know by now, have a knack for the dramatic. That is the beauty of being a fan of this team. The Blazers will pull off some insane comebacks or seemingly impossible obstacles. However, there comes the negative side of that. Sometimes, the Blazers will lose heartbreakers. Blazer fans have been subjected to a ton of these this seasons and it gets worse and worse every time it happens. The latest heartbreak came against the Miami Heat who beat the Portland Trail Blazers 93-91 in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter. The Blazers fall to 45-26 on the season while the Heat improve to 48-21.
If you remember, Chris Bosh hit a desperation three-pointer that swished to give the Heat a one-point lead in their last meeting. The Blazers would go on to lose by just one-point. In this game, expectations were probably lower than their previous matchup. The Blazers were at the top of the sports world in December and dang near almost beat the Heat, which would have been yet another accomplishment. In tonight’s game, the Blazers were beat up, coming off a horrid loss to the Bobcats and have been struggling ever since the last Heat game. Furthermore, LeBron James and Chris Bosh called out their team following their head-scratching loss against the Pelicans two nights ago. The Heat were going to be pumped up.
That is exactly what happened, however, what was surprising was just how ready Portland seemed to be. Defensively, Portland was doing a great job and played with extreme energy and toughness. LeBron James went 3-for-11 in the first quarter, which for any team, would be a success. However, Portland struggled badly with turnovers all night and allowed the Heat to score easy buckets in transition. Because of that, Portland only carried a three-point lead into the second quarter. Portland also swished four threes in the quarter, so it seemed that Portland’s heart was carrying them through most of that quarter. Then the inevitable Heat struck back outscoring the Blazers 24-17 in the second quarter. Turnovers were yet again rampant. It seems shocking that Portland only had 15 turnovers on the night, but they just seemed spread out and happened at key moments. This was also when the three-pointer completely died. Portland could not make an outside shot. However, considering that expectations were lower for Portland fans, going into halftime with just a four-point deficit was pretty impressive considering that Portland could not make a shot from beyond the arc.
Miami got their act rolling the third quarter as they outscored Portland 26-19. The first possession for Portland ended in a turnover, but Dorell Wright swished the first three of the half, which could have been a good sign. However, Portland would not score from the field again until 6:58. Chris Bosh would find his three-pointer and can two of them to extend the lead to nine. With a made Matthews three-pointer at 6:58, it was a miracle that the Blazers were staring at just an 8-point deficit. The Heat were without Dwayne Wade, but the way Miami can go off, that is astonishing.
Portland could not convert on consecutive offensive possessions and for the rest of quarter were just trading buckets. They headed into the fourth quarter with an 11-point deficit. Again, Portland did not score until the 9:14 mark. Portland’s first three of four shots of the quarter were three-pointers. Sensing a pattern? However, Portland seemed to be finally making some shots. They continued to claw and scratch when they finally realized that they could get to the rim a bit easier. However, with a three-point shooting team such as the Blazers and a team like Miami who leaves three-point shooters open quite frequently, it is hard to pass up an open three even if the ball is rimming out. With 5:13 remaining, Mo Williams swished a three-pointer and then Wesley Matthews promptly swished another one a minute later. The Blazers were finally making their run and they were doing mainly with the FT line. Portland was fortunate to get Miami in the penalty early so as to use that as a weapon. With 0:44 remaining, Batum hit one of his wacky in the corner three-pointers that chopped Miami’s lead to two. With a steal by Mo Williams and two made free throws, the game was tied with 0:30 remaining. Unfortunately, the Heat have a player called LeBron James who is unguardable. LeBron was able to drive to the rim with ease and secure a lay-up. The Blazers, not calling a time out, ran down the court and Damian got his shot blocked by Chris Bosh. This season, the Blazers have lost both their games against the Heat by a combined margin of three points.
The biggest and most important stat of the night was the three-pointers. Portland finished going 11-for-39 and shooting just 28%. Portland hits a few of those open three-pointers and this game is a win, just one of those nights. Turnovers, again, were an issue, especially since Miami gained 21 points off of 15 Blazer turnovers. Miami scored a staggering 52 points in the paint, while Portland mustered 26.
Individually, Damian Lillard and Mo Williams were the best, but they were still inefficient. Lillard ended with 19 points on 3-for-15 shooting, 1-for-8 from three and had 6 assists. Mo provided spark as he finished with 17 points on 5-for-12 shooting, 2-for-6 from three.
Miami is a good team, but Portland could have easily won this game. LeBron went 13-for-23 and scored 32 points, but no one else really went off for the Heat. It is disappointing to say the least as Portland played their heart out, but just could not secure the win.
Portland cannot dwell on this one as they head to Orlando to face the Magic on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. PST. This has a win written all over it, but this trip is eerily similar to the last trip. This definitely felt like the Houston game. Hopefully Portland can take care of business and salvage this trip. Stay tuned!