Coming off an 18-point win against the Charlotte Hornets, the Miami Heat host the Portland Trail Blazers in the second night of a back-to-back at 8:00 p.m. EST Saturday evening inside Kaseya Center.
Led by Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins and Pelle Larsson, Miami’s 126-108 win Friday night was the first in Emirates Cup group stage play and the second against the Hornets this season. Meanwhile, the Blazers will be on two days rest after handing the shorthanded Oklahoma City Thunder their first loss of the season, 121-119.
Portland is winners of four of its last five, though each of its last three wins has been by two points apiece to the Utah Jazz, Denver Nuggets and Thunder. Its biggest standout has been forward Deni Avdija, who parlayed his torrid end to the 2024-25 season into an outstanding start this year, averaging 24.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists on 45.6 percent shooting and 36.0 percent from beyond the arc.
The Heat’s injury report has not yet been submitted at the time of this publishing, but one could assume that Bam Adebayo (toe) will miss his second consecutive game after he was seen in a walking boot Friday night. Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Norman Powell both rolled their ankles, so we’ll see their statuses as the hours pass.
Injury Report (at the time of this publishing):
Miami Heat:
NOT YET SUBMITTED.
Charlotte Hornets:
- Javonte Cooke (G-League) — OUT
- Scoot Henderson (hamstring) — OUT
- Damian Lillard (achilles) — OUT
- Shaedon Sharpe (calf)
- Matisse Thybulle (thumb) — OUT
- Blake Wesley (foot) — OUT
Projected Starting 5 (subject to change):
Miami Heat:
- Davion Mitchell, G
- Norman Powell, G
- Pelle Larsson, G/F
- Andrew Wiggins, F
- Kel’el Ware, C
Portland Trail Blazers:
- Jrue Holiday, G
- Shaedon Sharpe, G
- Deni Avdija, F
- Toumani Camara, F
- Donovan Clingan, C
Broadcast Info:
- Tipoff: 8:00 PM EST
- TV: FanDuel Sports Network Sun (Eric Reid & John Crotty)
- Radio: AM 560 Sports WQAM & The HEAT Radio Network (Jason Jackson)
- Spanish Radio: WAQI 710 AM & The HEAT Spanish Radio Network (José Pañeda)
Come back to Hot Hot Hoops at game time to join our GameThread and chat about the game live with other Heat fans!
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