The Portland Trail Blazers and Miami Heat love to play energetic, fast-paced basketball no matter what opponent they face. When they lined up against each other on Saturday evening, it was more like watching
an Olympics track meet than an NBA basketball game. Each side took turns trying to overwhelm the other, neither succeeding for long. When the dust cleared, the Heat ended up with a 136-131 win.
Stat of the Night
The Blazers announced how this game was going to go in the first quarter. Forget their 15-3 lead at the outset. They were always going to give that back. It’s just the nature of their chaotic vibe. No, Portland showed their intentions by attempting 29 shots in the first quarter alone. That’s a near-120-shot pace for the game. Miami wasn’t far behind with 27 attempts themselves. The teams finished with 108 and 96 field goal attempts respectively, a combined 204. Both shot from the perimeter like the rear end of an inebriated donkey, but neither cared. Volume, not quality, carries the day in this new NBA.
Player of the Game
How can you pick anyone besides Deni Avdija right now? He had 33 points on 12-20 shooting with 11 rebounds and 8 assists. Shaedon Sharpe came on like a hurricane during the second half of this one, attacking the rim with abandon and rebounding the ball like a fiend but he couldn’t hit a three-pointer to save his life and he committed 6 turnovers.
What We Noticed
With both teams playing this hard and fast, energy was going to be a defining factor in the game. One way to measure it: which team committed the most turnovers. Miami won that battle, committing 14 against 20 for the Blazers. The Heat had an incredible 17 steals, Portland just 8.
Up Next
The Blazers get a travel day before facing the Orlando Magic at 4:00 PM, Pacific on Monday.
