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The Miami Heat will face off against the Portland Trail Blazers in an exciting NBA regular-season game at the Moda Center on Wednesday. The game will be the first encounter between the two teams this season.
The Miami Heat suffered a disappointing loss to the Golden State Warriors last time out. The Heat managed to prevent Steph Curry from doing much damage, but Jordan Poole showed up and took the game away from Miami. To make matters worse, Jimmy Butler walked out of the game injured.
However, the injury is not very serious and Butler will be back with the team soon. The Heat still have a deep roster and with players like Tyler Herro and Kyle Lowry playing, they can definitely push for a win in this encounter.
Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers come into the game on the back of a stunning win over the Atlanta Hawks. Anfernee Simons was the star of the night for the Blazers as he scored 43 points to lead the team to a win. It was a vital win for the team as it helped snap their four-game losing streak.
Match Details
Fixture: Miami Heat vs Portland Trail Blazers | NBA Season 2021-22
Date & Time: Wednesday, January 5, 11:00 PM ET [Thursday, January 6, 8:30 AM IST]
Venue: Moda Center, Portland, OR
Miami Heat Preview
The Miami Heat have proven to be one of the most exciting teams to watch out for this season. They recruited a bunch of star players in the offseason and it paid off well as the Heat got off to a stunning start. However, as the season progressed the team began having injury problems. The whole roster is yet to play together, but despite that, Miami finds itself fourth in the East.
Many new faces have shown up for the Heat and this shows that the team has a lot of depth, which is a good sign for them in the long run. Going into the game against the Blazers, Miami will be hoping to get back to winning ways.
Miami will be hoping to snap a two-game losing streak, which has allowed Philadelphia 76ers to stay in contention for fourth spot.
Key Player - Kyle Lowry
Kyle Lowry has undoubtedly been one of the best signings for the Heat this season. The 37-year-old has stellar court vision and has made things extremely easy for the other players in the franchise. He has fitted well with the team and has a great connection with other players like Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.
Going into the game against the Blazers, Lowry will have to put in a good performance in the absence of Butler and Adebayo.
Miami Heat Predicted Lineup
G - Kyle Lowry, G - Tyler Herro, F - Caleb Martin, F - PJ Tucker, C - Omer Yurtseven
Portland Trail Blazers Preview
The Portland Trail Blazers have been one of the most disappointing teams in the NBA this season. Despite having quality players, the Trail Blazers have failed to deliver and are placed 12th in the West.
In the past month, the team has had a wide array of injury issues and this has led to them losing seven of their last 10 games. Damian Lillard looked good after his return, but he will not play in this game due to an abdominal injury.
The team will once again have to rely on players like Anfernee Simons and Norman Powell to deliver if they are to get to a win against the Heat at home.
Key Player - Norman Powell
Norman Powell has had a great season with the Blazers. Despite the team's struggles, Norman's performance has been a great positive. He is averaging 18.4 PPG on 46.1 % shooting from the field.
The 28-year-old scored 26 points in the team's win against the Hawks. He will be hoping to put up a similar performance against the Heat and lead the team to their 15th win of the season.
Portland Trail Blazers Predicted Lineup
G - Anfernee Simons, G - Norman Powell, F - Nassir Little, F - Robert Covington, C - Jusuf Nurkic
Miami Heat vs Portland Trail Blazers Match Prediction
The Miami Heat have had several of their players perform for them this season. Going into the game against the Blazers, the Heat have lost two games on the trot. However, they are known for their resilience and will come out all guns blazing to get the better of the struggling Trail Blazers on Wednesday.
Where to watch the Heat vs Trail Blazers game?
All NBA games will be available to stream live on the official NBA app. This game between the Heat and the Trail Blazers will also be telecast on Bally Sports Sun and Root Sports.
Guess the Lakers players!
