----- Jimmy Butler finished with 22 points and nine assists as the Miami Heat used a strong second half to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers 106-96 Tuesday night at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.
Trail Blazers run out of gas in the second half!
Jimmy Butler finished with 22 points and nine assists and Terry Rozier added 19 points, four rebounds, and four assists as the Miami Heat defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 106-96 Tuesday night at Moda Center.
Jerami Grant led all scorers in the first half with 16 points as Portland built a 56-46 lead. Deandre Ayton recorded a double-double in the first half with 12 points and 10 rebounds, but did not return to the game after suffering a sprained hand in the first half. He was injured after taking a hard fall after driving to the basket. Following the game, Blazers Coach Chauncey Billups said x-rays were negative but expected more testing tomorrow.
Miami (33-25) used two separate 13-4 runs in the third quarter while outscoring Portland 34-20 in the period to take an 80-76 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Trail Blazers trailed 91-88 with 6:52 to play but Miami put the game out of reach with a 12-4 run. Portland scored just 40 points in the second half on 35.7% shooting.
Anfernee Simons scored a team-high 26 points and Jerami Grant added 24 points, seven rebounds, and six assists.
Up Next- The Trail Blazers begin a three-game road trip Friday in Memphis against the Grizzlies. Tip off is scheduled for 5:00 PM.
Chad's Take- First winless month for the Trail Blazers in franchise history.