----- Goran Dragic scored a season-high 29 points and tied a career-high with seven three-pointers as the Miami Heat improve to 17-1 at home with a 122-111 win over the Portland Trail Blazers Sunday at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, Florida.
A season of frustration continued for the Blazers Sunday afternoon in Miami.
Already shorthanded with multiple injuries, the Blazers got word that CJ McCollum would miss today's game shortly before tip off due to an upper respiratory infection.
The lack of firepower proved to be costly as the Miami Heat hammered the Portland Trail Blazers 122-111 at AmericanAirlines Arena. There were no ties and no lead changes as the Heat jumped out to a 17-6 lead early in the first quarter and never looked back.
Goran Dragic tied a season-high with 29 points and matched a career-high with seven three-pointers, Bam Adebayo added 20 points, and Derrick Jones Jr. finished with 19 points and six rebounds.
With the win, Miami (26-10) improved to 17-1 at home on the season.
The Heat led 31-19 after the first and saw their lead grow to 21 in the second quarter before taking a 65-46 lead into halftime. The Heat led by as many as 24 points in the third quarter, but the Blazers were able to battle back and cut the deficit to 13 at 94-81 entering the fourth thanks to 14 third quarter points from Damian Lillard.
Portland was able to get within 10 at 118-108 with 2:33 remaining on a Lillard three-pointer, but the Blazers never threatened as the two teams traded baskets over the final 12 minutes of the game.
Lillard led Portland (15-22) with 34 points on 11-of-22 shooting including 6-of-12 from three-point range, Anfernee Simons scored 19 points, and Mario Hezonja scored 10 points to make it back-to-back games with double-figures in scoring.
Hassan Whiteside got his first chance to face his former team on Sunday. He finished with 21 points, 18 rebounds, and two blocks. Whiteside played five seasons with the Heat before being traded to Portland during the Summer in exchange for Meyers Leonard and Maurice Harkless.
Up Next- The Portland Trail Blazers will travel to Toronto to meet the Raptors on Tuesday. The game is scheduled to tip off at 4:00 PM.
Chad's Take- Their chances were slim before we knew McCollum would miss the game. Result expected.