After starting their first road trip of the season with a win in Orlando, the Portland Trail Blazers (3-1) finish off their stay in Florida with a tilt versus the Miami Heat (2-2) Saturday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.
SERIES NOTES
ALL TIME: Trail Blazers lead, 39-20IN PORTLAND: Trail Blazers lead, 19-11AT THE HEAT: Trail Blazers lead, 20-9LAST PORTLAND WIN: 115-99, 3/12/18 (Portland)LAST HEAT WIN: 116-109, 12/20/15 (Miami)CURRENT WIN STREAK: Five (Portland)
GAME NOTES
• Saturday’s game marks the first of two meetings between the Trail Blazers and the Heat during the 2018-19 season. The Trail Blazers swept the season series in 2017-18, 2-0.• LAST MEETING: The Trail Blazers beat the Heat in Portland on March 12, 115-99. Damian Lillard led Portland with 32 points (8-19 FG, 7-14 3-PT, 9-10 FT) and 10 assists while Jusuf Nurkic chipped in a double-double of his own with 27 points and 16 rebounds. Goran Dragic paced the Heat with 23 points (10-17 FG, 3-3 FT), two rebounds and two assists.• BATTLE OF THE BOARDS: The Trail Blazers lead the league in rebounds per game with 53.5 while the Heat rank third with 51.8. Portland is fifth in the NBA in defensive rebound percentage (77.2%) while Miami is third in the NBA in offensive rebound percentage (35.1%).• In two games against Miami last season, Damian Lillard averaged 25.0 points (39.4% FG, 40.0 % 3-PT, 94.1% FT), 4.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists. Lillard has scored at least 30 points in two of his last three games in Miami.• CJ McCollum averaged 22.5 points (51.9% FG, 41.7% 3-PT, 92.3 % FT), 2.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists in two games against the Heat in 2017-18. McCollum has scored 20-plus points in three of his last six games against the Heat.• In one game against the Heat last season, Jusuf Nurkic scored 27 points (12-18 FG, 3-5 FT) to go with 16 rebounds, three assists and three steals. In his last two games against Miami, Nurkic has averaged 24.0 points, 14.5 rebounds and 3.00 blocks.• In two games against the Trail Blazers last season, Goran Dragic averaged 17.0 points (48.3% FG, 66.7% FT), 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.00 steal.• Wayne Ellington averaged 17.5 points (52.2% FG, 50.0% 3-PT, 100% FT), 3.5 rebounds and 2.00 steals in two games against the Trail Blazers during the 2017-18 season. Ellington shot 7-of-10 from the three-point line in his last home game against Portland.• CONNECTION: Evan Turner and Miami forward/center Kelly Olynyk were teammates in Boston for two seasons from 2014-16.• CONNECTION: Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra attended Portland’s Jesuit High School and played basketball at the University of Portland.
INJURY NOTES
The Trail Blazers have no injuries to report. Derrick Jones Jr. (Foot), Wayne Ellington (foot) and Justice Winslow (hamstring) are listed as probable for the Heat, while Dion Waiters (ankle) and James Johnson (hernia) are out.
BROADCAST NOTES
Saturday night's game can be seen locally on NBC Sports Northwest with Kevin Calabro, Lamar Hurd and Brooke Olzendam. Travis Demers, filling in for Brian Wheeler, and Casey Holdahl will have the call on Rip City Radio 620 AM and on all of the stations of the Trail Blazers Radio Network.