Miami capitalized on Portland’s volatility and inexperience.
The Portland Trail Blazers fell to the Miami Heat in their final Summer League game, 104-78. The scorer of the match was Orlando Robinson, the senior Heat player, with 27 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists. The Blazers were ahead by 18 points over Doup Reath, but had strong contributions from Michael Devoe, who had 16 points and 5 assists, and Kris Murray, who had 12 points.
The first quarter was decided by the Blazers’ hot shooting from three, from Heat everywhere else. Portland shot 40% from the arc in the quarter. Miami kept them at bay by shooting 52.4% from the field despite shooting only 27.3% from three. Chris Murray and Jabari Walker combined for 10 of the Blazers’ first 13 points, to take on Miami’s Orlando Robinson who finished with 9 points in the quarter. The Heat held a 26-22 lead after another.
The Heat jumped out to lead 32-23 in the second quarter before allowing a 13-0 Blazers lead. That put Portland ahead 36-32. The Blazers managed to hold on to a four-point lead going into halftime after a solid play from Devoe. He finished the half with 15 points and 5 assists, including a highlight-worthy pass that led to easy baskets in the paint.
Miami erased Portland’s lead immediately with an 8-0 lead early in the third quarter. The Blazers went scoreless for over three minutes as the Heat made bookings, steals, and points afterward, including a pair of wide-open quick breaks on consecutive possessions.
The Heat continued to lead by 12 points before Portland tried to replace Kamel with five players to turn the momentum around. The Blazers’ new line has not been more successful. Miami won the quarter 28-7 to take a 76-59 lead going into the final frame. Orlando Robinson scored 10 points in the quarter, bringing it to 25 for the game.
The fourth quarter saw the Heat and Blazers trade strikes without either team gaining much ground over the other. Unfortunately, for the Blazers, this meant they were held at a deficit of about 20 points. Among the bright spots for Portland was a huge dunk from Dob Rith early in the quarter. Reith had their best game in the Summer League despite losing the Explosion.
The Blazers had an over turnover and the Heat capitalized on those mistakes throughout. Portland finished with 24 turnovers for the game, which resulted in easy baskets going into the game for the Heat. The turning point of the game centered around turnovers early in the second half when the Blazers found themselves losing a lead they never regained.
Portland finished the Las Vegas tournament with a 3-2 record. Draft star Scoot Henderson played only once, in his first outing against Houston Rockets. Guard Shedon Sharp did not play against the Heat. He finished Summer League averaging 17.0 ppg over 4 appearances, shooting 34.8% from the field and 27.3% from the three-point arc. He added 5.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.5 turnovers in 27.9 minutes per game.
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