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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
MIAMI (AP) -- A frustrated Alonzo Mourning held up two fingers as he walked off the court and shouted, "Two weeks!"
|  | | Rasheed Wallace, who led the Blazers with 22 points, also played some pretty mean defense on Tim Hardaway and the rest of the Heat. |
Not exactly, Alonzo. You and the Miami Heat will actually have
to wait three weeks for a rematch against the Portland Trail
Blazers.
In an early-season test of East vs. West, Portland ran off nine
consecutive points down the stretch to beat the Heat 101-96 Tuesday
night.
The teams came into the game tied for the best record in the NBA
at 6-1. The defeat snapped the Heat's five-game winning streak.
"It hurts when you know you were the better team this evening," Mourning said. "We had them on the ropes and didn't put them away. But we'll see them again."
The only other regular-season meeting between the two teams will be Dec. 7 in Portland.
A basket by Rasheed Wallace started the Trail Blazers' 9-0 run and put them ahead 88-87 -- the eighth and last lead change. Scottie Pippen made two free throws, then hit a 3-pointer to make the score 95-87 with 2½ minutes to go.
Miami was never closer than five points the rest of the way.
"They made the shots when they needed to," said the Heat's Tim Hardaway, who had 17 points and 10 assists.
"We put ourselves in a position to win," Pippen said. "When
you're playing on the road, you really just want to keep it close
and give yourself a chance."
Pippen had 20 points and 13 rebounds, playing 39 minutes despite hurting his right calf in the first quarter.
"Scottie was a real warrior tonight," coach Mike Dunleavy said. "He was really tough down the stretch."
Wallace led Portland with 22 points, twice beating P.J. Brown for acrobatic alley-oop dunks, including the game's first basket off the opening tip.
As usual, the Blazers' bench provided a boost. Portland's reserves outscored Miami's 27-15.
"They're talented and experienced and very deep," Heat coach
Pat Riley said. "They've got veterans coming off the bench who
have been front-line players before."
Mourning scored 23 points and Jamal Mashburn 21 for the Heat, but they fell shy of 100 points for only the third time.
Miami shot 63 percent to take a 45-37 lead. Portland then scored
12 points in a row, including back-to-back 3-pointers by Pippen, to
go ahead 49-45.
"When we were down by eight in the first half, we knew we had to be careful," Dunleavy said. "They're the type of team that can knock you out of the box in a hurry."
The Heat missed nine of 10 shots during one stretch, then warmed
up again and took their first lead of the second half, 79-77, on
Voshon Lenard's 3-pointer. Consecutive 3-pointers by Dan Majerle
put Miami ahead 85-82 with 7:27 to go.
Portland then mounted one final comeback.
"The Heat is as good, if not better, than any team we've
played," Dunleavy said. "You can expect them to contend, not only
here in the East, but for the championship."
Game notes
Miami reserve forward Clarence Weatherspoon sat out the
game with a pulled hamstring. His status is day to day. ... Miami
and Portland didn't play each other in the strike-shortened 1999
season. ... The Heat, who led 31-23 at the end of the first
quarter, have led after one period in each of their eight games.
... The Blazers took a 74-71 lead into the fourth quarter. They've
led after three periods in every game.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Portland Clubhouse
Miami Clubhouse
RECAPS
Toronto 89
Detroit 85
Philadelphia 95
Washington 73
Atlanta 103
Charlotte 98
Portland 101
Miami 96
Milwaukee 101
LA Clippers 93
San Antonio 90
Indiana 87
Dallas 114
Houston 95
New York 102
Denver 95
Golden State 99
Chicago 79
Sacramento 81
Vancouver 77
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