The PORTLAND and the MIAMI will both be gunning for a victory on 10/27/2018 at 8:05 PM when they meet in a game matchup.
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS vs MIAMI HEAT
When: 8:00 PM ET, Saturday, October 27, 2018
Where:Â American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
| ROT | TEAM | PS | OU | ML |
| 711 | PORTLAND | -1 (-110) | 221 (-110) | -105 -115 |
| 712 | MIAMI |
TV: 8:05 PM
LINE: -1
PREDICTION: MIAMI , PORTLAND
Oddsmakers currently have the MIAMI listed as -1 point favorites versus the PORTLAND, while the game’s total is sitting at 221.
Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard is capable of going on a scoring binge and taking over games, as he proved on Thursday. Lillard will try to follow up a 41-point outburst when the Trail Blazers host the Miami Heat on Saturday.
Lillard scored 34 of those points in the second half as Portland began its four-game road trip with a 128-114 win over the Orlando Magic. “They had a guy behind the bench that kept running his mouth,” Lillard said during his televised postgame interview. “He just kept running his mouth, running his mouth and I told him, I said ‘You gonna get them in trouble. I’m here for this.’ He kept on talking and then in the second half, I didn’t hear a word from him. So, that’s that.” The Heat had their first three games decided by a total of five points and decided to take the drama out of it a little earlier with a 110-87 beatdown of the New York Knicks on Wednesday. “It felt like everything we threw up was dropping,” swingman Josh Richardson told reporters. “What I am proud of is, when the offense started coming easier, we didn’t let up on defense. A lot of times in the NBA when guys’ shots start falling, they start relaxing on both ends and start trying to flow more. But we kept it tight on defense.”
TV:Â 8 p.m. ET, NBCS Northwest (Portland), FS Sun (Miami)
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (3-1):Â Lillard’s performance on Thursday overshadowed a strong effort from reserve center Zach Collins, who finished with a career-high 17 points on 7-of-7 shooting in 18 minutes. The second-year big man from Gonzaga is primed for a breakout on both ends of the floor this season and is showing off his wide range of skills by averaging 2.3 blocks and shooting 57.1 percent from 3-point range. Collins provides a change of pace when he subs in for a more traditional center like Jusuf Nurkic, who has yet to make a 3-pointer this season but did record a double-double in each of the last two contests.
ABOUT THE HEAT (2-2):Â Miami’s plethora of injuries is opening more playing time for small forward Rodney McGruder, who is taking advantage by averaging 16.5 points on 55 percent shooting and 6.8 rebounds in 34.5 minutes. “He just does the simple things great and that’s not an easy thing to do,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters. “Always in the right spot. He’s going to run his patterns and cuts full speed. He’s going to get the best defensive matchups every night and find a way to help you, and he’s been doing that night in and night out.” Miami is still missing key rotation pieces like power forward James Johnson (hernia), small forward Justise Winslow (hamstring) and shooting guards Wayne Ellington (ankle) and Dion Waiters (ankle).
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Trail Blazers PF Al-Farouq Aminu hauled in 15 rebounds in each of the last two games.
2. Heat C Hassan Whiteside recorded a double-double in three of the first four games and scored a season-high 22 points in Wednesday’s victory.
3. Portland is enjoying a five-game winning streak in the series and pulled off a 102-95 win at Miami last season behind 28 points from SG CJ McCollum.
PREDICTION:Â Trail Blazers 119, Heat 109
| Tony’s Pick | TEAM |
| PORTLAND | -105 |
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