National Basketball Association
Portland 99, Miami 92
When: 10:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 3, 2016
Where: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Officials: #47 Bennie Adams, #73 Tre Maddox, #41 Ken Mauer
Attendance: 19393

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Offense was missing from the Portland Trail Blazers' arsenal much of the way Saturday night at Moda Center.

So the Trail Blazers turned to defense to help them pull out a 99-92 come-from-behind victory over the Miami Heat.

Portland (11-10) outscored Miami 14-1 in the final three minutes to erase a six-point deficit, scoring on seven of its final eight possessions.

"I was really pleased with the way we finished the game," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. "We got on a little roll on offense there at the end, and to hold (the Heat) to one point in the last three minutes was pretty impressive."

The Heat went 0 of 9 from the field and failed to score on their last nine possessions.

"You have to credit Portland," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. "So often, (the Blazers) play well in those clutch last two or three minutes and it becomes make or miss. And we missed some chippies that could have gone."

Damian Lillard scored 19 points and Moe Harkless and CJ McCollum had 17 apiece for the Blazers, who shot only .404 from the field. Lillard and McCollum both had sub-par shooting games -- Lillard 6 of 19 and McCollum 7 of 18.

"We're getting back into a defensive mode," Portland forward Ed Davis said. "It won us this game tonight. Dame and CJ didn't really have it going. We still found a way to get the win."

Hassan Whiteside contributed 28 points, 16 rebounds and five blocked shots and Goran Dragic had 18 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for the Heat (7-13), who saw the end to a two-game win streak. Miami shot .442 from the field but only .320 (8 of 25) in the fourth quarter.

"You want to put yourself in position to win at the end of a game on the road," Spoelstra said. "We gave ourselves that chance, and we just couldn't get it done."

Miami led 6-0 early as Portland missed its first five shots from the field. The Heat increased the margin to 23-11 midway through the first quarter. With Whiteside scored 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the field, Miami settled for a 29-21 advantage heading into the second quarter.

Portland outscored Miami 19-6 to open the second quarter to go ahead 40-35. The Blazers used a big free-throw advantage to take a 55-49 lead into intermission. They were 13 of 16 at the line; the Heat were 3 of 5.

Lillard and Harkless each had 11 points at halftime for the Blazers, who outscored Miami 34-20 in the second quarter. Whiteside was 7 of 7 from the field and had 15 points at the break.

Miami outscored Portland 11-2 to start the third quarter, seizing a 60-57 lead. The Blazers carried a 73-71 edge into the fourth quarter.

The Heat started the fourth quarter on a 9-2 run to go ahead 82-75. Portland answered with a 7-0 spurt to tie it at 82 with 6:04 left.

Lillard's 3-pointer got Portland within 86-85 with four minutes to go. Tyler Johnson answered with a 3 to push Miami back ahead 89-85, and Whiteside's tip-in made it 91-85 with 3:03 to play.

McCollum sank a trey to cut the margin to 91-88 with 2:49 remaining. Harkless hit two free throws to draw the Blazers within 91-90 with 2:26 left.

Moments later, McCollum scored on a drive to tie the count at 92. Harkless' layup gave Portland a 94-92 advantage with 1:22 to go, and McCollum's short jumper upped the difference to 96-92 with 58 seconds to play.

NOTES: Portland has won back-to-back games for the first time since Nov. 11 and 13. ... It was only the third time this season the Trail Blazers have held an opponent below 100 points. ... Miami C Hassan Whiteside is tied with Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook for the most double-doubles (16) in the NBA this season. ... The Heat were whistled for four technical fouls in the game. Two of them were on forward James Johnson, who was ejected late in the third quarter. ... Miami entered the game with only nine healthy bodies. Among the injured are four rotation players -- F Justice Winslow (wrist), G Dion Waiters (groin), F Josh Richardson (ankle) and F Luke Babbitt (hip). "It simplifies things," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Everybody knows he is likely to get into the game. Play as hard as you can, come out when you get tired, and the next guy steps in." ... Portland F Al-Farouq Aminu (calf) missed his 13th straight game, but he went through a full practice session Friday and might return to action Monday at Chicago in the opener of a five-game road trip.
Top Game Performances
 
Miami   Portland
Hassan Whiteside 28 Scoring Damian Lillard 19
Goran Dragic 8 Assists Damian Lillard 6
Hassan Whiteside 16 Rebounds Mason Plumlee 9
Hassan Whiteside 4 Free Throws Made Damian Lillard 5
Goran Dragic 2 Steals Evan Turner 3
Hassan Whiteside 5 Blocks Ed Davis 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Miami 92 44.2 6-22 10-15 23 46 6 6 14
Portland 99 40.4 9-24 18-24 19 47 9 6 9
Upcoming Games
  • Portland will play their next game on the road against Chicago. The Trail Blazers have a W/L % of .400 after a win and .636 after a loss.
  • Miami will play their next game at home against New York. The Heat have a W/L % of .286 after a win and .385 after a loss.