Nikola Jovic delivered a breakout performance Saturday night, scoring a career-high 29 points off the bench to lead the Miami Heat past the Portland Trail Blazers 136-131 in a thrilling, back-and-forth contest at Kaseya Center.
Jovic, who also grabbed nine rebounds and dished seven assists, helped the Heat overcome a frigid start and a furious late push by Portland. His previous career best was 24 points, but the 21-year-old forward seemed in complete control all night — attacking the rim, hitting jumpers, and setting up teammates in key moments.
Norman Powell added 22 points for Miami, while Pelle Larsson scored 16, Andrew Wiggins had 15, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. filled the stat sheet with 14 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists. Rookie big man Kel’el Ware also pulled down 12 rebounds, providing strong interior play in place of the injured Bam Adebayo, who missed his second straight game with a sprained left big toe.
Deni Avdija continued his stellar early-season scoring streak for Portland, finishing with 33 points — lifting his season average to 25.3. Shaedon Sharpe scored 21, while Jrue Holiday and Jerami Grant each added 18 for the Trail Blazers, who began a five-game road trip.
The game was tight throughout the fourth quarter, with neither side leading by more than four until the final minute. Holiday tied it at 123 with a 3-pointer at the 3:26 mark, but Wiggins answered with a deep triple of his own to put Miami ahead 132-127 with 1:32 left. The Heat then closed it out at the free-throw line, improving to 4-0 at home this season.
Miami’s offensive rhythm took time to arrive. A night after scoring a franchise-record 53 points in the first quarter against Charlotte, the Heat missed 14 of their first 15 shots and fell behind 15-3 early. But once they found their footing, they erupted for 69 points over the final 19 minutes of the first half to seize a 72-65 halftime lead.
With the win, the Heat improved to 6-2 when scoring at least 115 points this season — but remain winless (0-2) when failing to reach that threshold.
Trail Blazers: Visit the Orlando Magic on Monday. Heat: Host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night.
