Nikola Jovic’s Career-High Leads Heat to Victory Over Trail Blazers
On Saturday night, Nikola Jovic scored a career-high 29 points off the bench, helping the Miami Heat narrowly defeat the Portland Trail Blazers 136-131. Jovic also contributed nine rebounds and seven assists in the impressive performance.
Norman Powell added 22 points for Miami, with 16 points from Pelle Larsson and 15 from Andrew Wiggins. Jaime Jaquez Jr. recorded a near triple-double with 14 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists. Kel’el Ware also supported the team by grabbing 12 rebounds.
Jovic’s previous best was 24 points in a game.
For Portland, Deni Avdija led the scoring with 33 points, maintaining his strong season average of 25.3 points. Shaedon Sharpe added 21 points, while Jrue Holiday and Jerami Grant each scored 18 points.
The game remained tight throughout, especially in the fourth quarter when neither team led by more than four points until the final moments. Holiday tied the game at 123-all with a 3-pointer with 3:26 left.
“Wiggins' 3-pointer with 1:32 left gave Miami a 132-127 lead and the Heat held on from there,”
securing the win and improving Miami's home record to 4-0 this season. The Heat are now 6-2 when scoring at least 115 points, but 0-2 when scoring fewer than that.
Miami started the game slowly, missing 14 of their first 15 shots and falling behind 15-3, but quickly recovered to claim victory.
Author’s summary: Nikola Jovic’s standout performance spurred the Miami Heat to a close win over Portland, highlighting Miami’s resilience and strong home-game form.