The Portland Trail Blazers travel to Miami to face the Heat, marking the start of their five-game road trip. Portland comes off a victory against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in their previous game. Meanwhile, Miami plays the second night of a back-to-back after defeating the Charlotte Hornets to open their Emirates NBA Cup schedule.
Trail Blazers: Scoot Henderson, Damian Lillard, Matisse Thybulle, Blake Wesley (Out); Shaedon Sharpe (Probable)
Heat: Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo, Terry Rozier (Out); Jaime Jaquez (Questionable); Norman Powell (Probable)
The Trail Blazers rank third in the NBA in pace, while the Heat hold the top spot. This clash of speedsters promises an exciting game with both teams pushing the tempo. Portland and Miami also rank first and sixth respectively in steals per game, forecasting numerous transition chances and points off turnovers.
Despite shooting just 44.6% from the field and 33.8% from three, Portland compensates by grabbing 13 rebounds per game, emphasizing their hustle and effort on the boards.
"Matching up two of the quickest teams will likely lead to an exciting contest where both teams try to outrun the other throughout the course of the contest."
Author's summary: This game highlights two of the NBA's fastest teams, with high-pressure defense and transition scoring expected to shape an intense matchup.
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