Portland Trail Blazers vs Miami Heat Preview
The Portland Trail Blazers are in Miami to face the Heat, opening a five-game road trip. Portland recently defeated the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. Miami enters this game on the second night of a back-to-back after beating the Charlotte Hornets to start their Emirates NBA Cup schedule.
Game Details
- Date & Time: Saturday, November 8 - 5:00pm Pacific
- Teams: Portland Trail Blazers (5-3) vs Miami Heat (5-4)
Viewing and Listening Options
- Antenna/Cable: Rip City Television Network
- Streaming: BlazerVision in Oregon and Washington; League Pass elsewhere
- Audio: Trail Blazers Audio Network
Injury Reports
Trail Blazers
- Scoot Henderson (Out)
- Damian Lillard (Out)
- Matisse Thybulle (Out)
- Blake Wesley (Out)
- Shaedon Sharpe (Probable)
Heat
- Tyler Herro (Out)
- Bam Adebayo (Out)
- Terry Rozier (Out)
- Jaime Jaquez (Questionable)
- Norman Powell (Probable)
Matchup Analysis
The Trail Blazers rank third in the NBA for pace, while the Heat lead the league. Both teams being among the fastest should create a high-energy game, with each side aiming to outpace the other. Portland and Miami also rank first and sixth respectively in steals per game, promising numerous transition plays and scoring chances off turnovers.
Portland struggles with shooting efficiency, converting just 44.6% from the field and 33.8% from beyond the arc. They compensate with strong rebounding, averaging 13 rebounds per game.
"Matching up two of the quickest teams will likely lead to an exciting contest where both teams try to outrun the other throughout the course of the contest."
Author’s summary: This game will feature two of the NBA’s fastest teams, with the Heat and Trail Blazers pushing pace and forcing turnovers, although Portland's shooting efficiency remains a concern.