Halftime Report
The Heat fell flat on their face against the Warriors last Tuesday, but memory of that harsh defeat doesn’t seem to have tripped them up today. After two quarters the Heat’s offense has really been able to impose its will, dominating the Trail Blazers 74-40.
If the Heat keep playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 40-33 in no time. On the other hand, the Trail Blazers will have to make due with a 19-55 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
Portland Trail Blazers @ Miami Heat
Current Records: Portland 19-54, Miami 39-33
How To Watch
- When: Friday, March 29, 2024 at 8 p.m. ET
- Where: Kaseya Center — Miami, Florida
- TV: ROOT Sports Northwest
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $49.00
What to Know
The Heat will be playing the full four quarters on Friday, but they’re expected to have things wrapped up well before that. They have the luxury of staying home for another game and will welcome the Portland Trail Blazers at 8:00 p.m. ET at Kaseya Center. Given that the pair suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this match.
The Heat managed to keep up with the Warriors until halftime on Tuesday, but things quickly went downhill from there. The Heat suffered a bruising 113-92 loss at the hands of the Warriors.
The Heat’s defeat shouldn’t obscure the performances of Bam Adebayo, who almost dropped a double-double on 24 points and nine rebounds, and Haywood Highsmith, who scored 15 points along with six rebounds and two steals.
Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers’ recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Wednesday after their eighth straight loss. They took a 120-106 bruising from the Hawks.
The Trail Blazers’ defeat came about despite a quality game from Dalano Banton, who almost dropped a double-double on 31 points and nine assists.
Speaking of assists, the Trail Blazers were working as a unit and finished the game with 35 assists. That’s the most assists they’ve managed all season.
Miami’s loss dropped their record down to 39-33. As for Portland, their defeat dropped their record down to 19-54.
The Heat beat the Trail Blazers 106-96 when the teams last played back in February. Will the Heat repeat their success, or do the Trail Blazers have a better game plan this time around? We’ll find out soon enough.
Odds
Miami is a big 14-point favorite against Portland, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Heat as a 15-point favorite.
The oddsmakers are predicting a defensive showdown and set the over/under low at 210 points.
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Miami has won 7 out of their last 10 games against Portland.
- Feb 27, 2024 – Miami 106 vs. Portland 96
- Nov 07, 2022 – Portland 110 vs. Miami 107
- Oct 26, 2022 – Miami 119 vs. Portland 98
- Jan 19, 2022 – Miami 104 vs. Portland 92
- Jan 05, 2022 – Miami 115 vs. Portland 109
- Apr 11, 2021 – Miami 107 vs. Portland 98
- Mar 25, 2021 – Portland 125 vs. Miami 122
- Feb 09, 2020 – Portland 115 vs. Miami 109
- Jan 05, 2020 – Miami 122 vs. Portland 111
- Feb 05, 2019 – Miami 118 vs. Portland 108
