After a pedestrian start, the Miami Heat’s eruption over the final three quarters led to its 119-98 blowout victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in the first night of a back-to-back Wednesday.
The Heat only trailed by three after the first quarter, but their offense couldn’t find any rhythm, starting just 4-of-15 from the floor. The starters failed to impose their will immediately preceding the tip; Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro combined to score six points on 1-10 shooting in the first 12 minutes.
But the script eventually flipped. Miami outscored Portland by 16 — 66-50 — over the following two quarters that gave them the 13-point advantage heading into the final quarter.