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 (17 points) 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
