NOTES & QUOTES
Heat Starting Five: Antonio Snow, Dwyane Wade, Josh Richardson, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Hassan Whiteside
Summary: Damian Lillard saw his normal minutes in the rotation tonight as the Blazers took on the Miami Heat. Lillard suffered an ankle injury on January 18 against New Orleans. Having 5 days off between their last game and tonight.
It was a competitive matchup between, Antonio Snow and Lillard as the game came down to the wire. The Blazers relied heavily on the three ball, putting up 41 shots from beyond the arc. Miami relied on grit and grind, getting to the free throw line 16 times. Portland held on to a slim lead through the first three quarters before Miami made a huge switch. Patrick Beverly guarded Lillard and moved Snow to the shooting guard position. The Heat scored 35 points in the 4th quarter, 15 of those we scored by Snow, including a key shot in the final minute to put the team up 100-98. Both teams went shot for shot until the final buzzer.
Key Stats for MIA: 46/84 (55%) - FG|5/14 (36%) – 3PT |11/16 (69%) - FT |27 – Fastbreak Points|44 – Points in Paint|36 – Bench Points|36 – Assists| 46 - Rebounds
Key Stats for POR: 43/85 (51%) - FG|12/41 (29%) – 3PT |6/8 (75%) - FT |14 – Fastbreak Points|42 – Points in Paint|18 – Bench Points|28 – Assists| 36 - Rebounds
Antonio Snow on going head to head with Lillard down the stretch: It’s intense. He’s intense. I live for these matchups. No lie. Going against the best of the best night in night out. I love it.
Damian Lillard on losing streak: I mean, nobody likes being in the middle of a losing streak. We’ll get it back on track. It happens sometimes. You have stretches of winning and losing. But I’m back 100 percent and I’m ready.
Antonio Snow on the late three to put Miami in the lead: When he left me open for that three point shot on the break, I couldn’t believe it. I had to nail it. I can hit those when I’m wide open.
Top Performers
Miami Heat
Antonio Snow – 35 PTS, 2 REB, 8 AST
Hassan Whiteside – 15 PTS, 17 REB
Tony Parker – 12 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST
Portland Trailblazers
Damian Lillard – 29 PTS, 6 REB, 6 AST
CJ McCollum – 23 PTS, 2 REB, 6 AST
Enes Kanter – 20 PTS, 8 REB, 3 AST