Butler-less Heat extend win streak to three with 119-98 victory in Portland behind Herro's 32

Ira Winderman, South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Jan 12, 2025

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PORTLAND, Ore. – Heat coach Erik Spoelstra got what he wanted, practically forecasting the evening ahead.

“We’ve faced a good amount of adversity on this road trip,” he said at the morning shootaround. “I mean that’s great for a basketball team to go through all those emotions.”

Saturday night, more emotions, while still finding a way to a 119-98 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center.

Continuing to play amid the team suspension of Jimmy Butler, having left for this six-game trip after a 36-point home loss to the Utah Jazz, and then having lost a double-overtime game against the Sacramento Kings to start the trip, the Heat now have won three in a row.

Again, doing it the hard way.

This time, after a 20-point lead late in the second quarter almost completely evaporated at the start of the third, the Heat came together to improve to 3-1 on the trip and 20-17 on the season.

Guard Tyler Herro again led the way, this time with 32 points, with the Heat also getting 21 points from Nikola Jovic and 14 from Haywood Highsmith. In addition, center Bam Adebayo filled the box score with 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.

Conditions allowing in Los Angeles, the Heat are scheduled to close out their trip Monday night against the Clippers and Wednesday night against the Lakers.

Five Degrees of Heat from Saturday night’s game:

1. Game flow: The Heat led 29-23 after the first period and 66-48 at halftime.

Portland then opened the second half with a 16-2 run, with the Heat’s lone points during that stretch coming when Portland center Donovan Clingan accidentally tipped the ball into his own basket.

Adebayo, who was credited with the two points on Clingan’s gaffe, then converted a 3-pointer to help quell the Portland rally.

From there, the Heat took a 94-83 lead into the fourth, later pushing to a 17-point lead with 9:45 to play.

That was the fourth-quarter lead the Heat blew in the loss in Sacramento and this time Portland closed within 100-94 with 4:43 remaining.

Herro then stepped up with a 3-pointer to quiet the rally, just as he did in the fourth quarter of Thursday night’s victory in Utah. He later drew a three-shot foul to put it away.

2. Herro, again: Showing another element of his growing maturity, Herro did not allow a 1-of-6 start from the field to get him down, continuing to play in attack mode.

Instead, he was up to 7 of 13 for 18 points by the intermission and then 26 through three quarters.

Herro’s fifth point was the 6,000th of his career.

He closed 11 of 22 from the field, including 7 of 14 on 3-pointers, with five rebounds and five assists.

3. Jovic again: Jovic again provided a spark off the bench, again entering early alongside first-round pick Kel’el Ware.

While Ware’s night was uneven, Jovic was up to 12 points by halftime, at a stage when Portland’s entire bench had eight points. He then went into the fourth quarter at 18 points.

Jovic again showed the diversity of his offense, including his upgraded 3-point shooting.

He closed 8 of 12 from the field, including 4 of 7 on 3-pointers, with eight rebounds and five assists.

4. Highsmith over the top: The night began with Highsmith catching as much as possible of his beloved Baltimore Ravens on his phone in the locker room.

Good night for the Ravens; good night for Highsmith.

Highsmith opened 4 of 5 on 3-pointers. At that stage the rest of the Heat were 6 of 19 from beyond the arc, with Herro 1 of 5 at that juncture.

But it not only was on that end for Highsmith, who also was up to three steals when he converted the fourth 3-pointer, closing with a season-best five.

5. Less than whole: Not only were the Heat without Butler, who served the fifth game of his seven-game team suspension for “conduct detrimental to the team,” but the Trail Blazers also were far less than whole.

Missing for Portland were Deandre Ayton (sore calf), Jerami Grant (facial contusion), Matisse Thybulle (ankle sprain) and Robert Williams III (illness).

Also out for the Heat was guard Josh Richardson, due to his ongoing heel inflammation. Richardson was active for Thursday night’s victory over the Utah Jazz but did not play and has not played since Nov. 18.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. started in place of Butler for the fourth consecutive game.