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The Portland Trail Blazers outlasted the Miami Heat in a wild game that went down to the wire on Thursday night.
The Trail Blazers were led by C.J. McCollum's 35 points on 56% shooting. The Heat had a strong comeback effort but fell just short in the two-point defeat.
The Portland Trail Blazers improved to 26-18 with the victory, jumping into a tie with the Denver Nuggets for fifth place in the Western Conference. The Miami Heat, on the other hand, fell to 22-23 with the loss, still holding on to the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference.
Portland Trail Blazers outlast Miami Heat with C.J. McCollum's scintillating performance
The Portland Trail Blazers came out of the gates strong, outscoring the Miami Heat 31-24 in the first quarter. However, the Heat outscored the Trail Blazers in the next two quarters, tying the game after three. Erik Spoelstra's side led by as many as eight points, but the Trail Blazers were able to come away with a wild win.
Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro led the Miami Heat offensively, combining for 58 points in a heartbreaking loss. With just under two seconds remaining, Damian Lillard was able to draw contact on a three-point attempt and bury the game-winning free throws.
Here's how Twitter reacted to the Portland Trail Blazers' slim victory:
Damian Lillard had a rough night from beyond, shooting just 25%, but his ability to draw a foul in the clutch proved pivotal in this victory. "Dame Time" is always a threat for a game-winner, so the Miami Heat played tough defense and overreached.
Here are more reactions from the Portland Trail Blazers' narrow win:
Although the Miami Heat dropped below .500 with this loss, they can take some positives from this game. Struggling Tyler Herro seems to have found his stroke, and Kendrick Nunn had a strong night of shooting as well.
Here's how Miami Heat Twitter reacted to the loss:
Guess the Lakers players!
