Anfernee Simons scored a game-high 24 points and Deandre Ayton added 22 points and 15 rebounds as the Portland Trail Blazers outran the host Miami Heat 116-107 on Tuesday night.
Through three quarters, the youthful Trail Blazers had a 19-0 edge on fastbreak points. Portland finished with a 21-5 advantage in that department.
Simons returned after missing Portland’s previous game due to a strained right elbow.
Miami played without its leading scorer, Tyler Herro, who reported right-groin tightness. Prior to Tuesday, Herro who is averaging 24.0 points was the only Heat player who hadn’t missed a game this season.
Deni Avdija added 16 points and 10 rebounds for Portland, which has won two straight games after dropping five in a row.
Duncan Robinson put up 22 points for the Heat, who have lost four of their past five games.
Heat 7-foot rookie center Kel’el Ware, coming off a 25-point game, made his first career start. He posted 20 points, and a career-high 16 rebounds.
Bam Adebayo, Miami’s second starting center on Tuesday, had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Heat star Jimmy Butler, who has demanded a trade, logged 13 points and eight assists.
Both teams shot higher than 50 percent in the first quarter, but Miami was a bit better, hitting 63.6 percent overall and 7 of 9 from 3-point range to take a 38-34 lead. Simons and Robinson each had 11 points in the period.
Miami cooled off in the second quarter, making just 30.8 percent from the floor and missing all 12 of its 3-point tries. That allowed Portland to take a 61-55 halftime lead.
Portland played a clean first half with zero turnovers, a 10-0 edge on fastbreak points and a 15-6 advantage on second-chance points.
Simons led all first-half scorers. Meanwhile, Miami totaled just 17 points in the second quarter.
The Trail Blazers broke the game open in the third quarter, taking a 97-77 lead. In the third, Portland shot 65 percent, including 6 of 12 from beyond the arc.
Miami rallied with a 17-2 run in the fourth quarter, cutting its deficit to 110-103 with 2:51 left when Jaime Jaquez Jr. sank two foul shots. However, Miami couldn’t get any closer.
Field Level Media
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
