RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
MIAMI (AP) -- With his roster depleted and his team about to face one of the NBA's powerhouses, Miami coach Pat Riley challenged his team by asking them, "Who's got heart?"
|  | | Shawn Kemp, left, and Miami's Brian Grant were the principals of a trade last summer. Grant got the better of things Saturday, scoring 24 with 13 rebounds. |
After scoring 23 points, including four in the final 34 seconds,
in Miami's 86-80 win, rookie Eddie House returned to the bench and
yelled his answer to Riley, "I've got heart. I've got heart."
House filled in admirably for the injured Tim Hardaway and Brian
Grant, acquired in an off-season deal with Portland, had 25 points
and 13 rebounds for the Heat. Anthony Mason added 12 points, nine
rebounds and six assists, and House added five rebounds and three
assists.
"I'm proud of our effort tonight," House said. "We're a team full of soldiers and when some of our soldiers are down, the rest of us have to step up."
The Trail Blazers, who had won six of their previous seven
games, were paced by Rasheed Wallace with 20 points and 11
rebounds. Steve Smith added 19 points.
Sitting out the game were Hardaway, who had tendinitis in his
right knee, and Eddie Jones, who has a right calf strain. Their
loss further depleted a roster already missing Alonzo Mourning
(kidney disorder), Dan Majerle (torn hamstring), Ricky Davis
(fractured foot) and Don MacLean (foot surgery).
"That was fun," said Riley, whose team had a season-low nine
turnovers, "I don't think I've ever had more fun at a game for a
long while. The carnage is all over the locker room as far as
injuries are concerned, but the heart is always there."
Said Portland head coach Mike Dunleavy, who certainly didn't
have as much fun: "The story of the game is that in the second
half, they outworked us. They beat us on the offensive boards and
forced us into turnovers."
The statistics bear out Dunleavy's observations. In the second
half, Miami had a 9-3 advantage on the offensive boards and
committed just six turnovers to Portland's 11. Also of note was the
Trail Blazers' 34 points after intermission were their season-low
for a half. Their assist total of 14 was a season-low.
Three-pointers by Smith and Scottie Pippen, sandwiched around a
basket by Bruce Bowen, closed a six-point Miami lead to 78-76 with
1:39 to play.
After a free throw by Bowen, a basket inside by Dale Davis made
it 79-78 Miami with a minute left.
House then hit his biggest basket of the night to put the Heat
ahead 81-79 with 34 seconds to go, and Anthony Carter added a
fast-break basket with 22.4 remaining for a four-point lead.
After a Portland basket, two free throws by House gave Miami an
85-81 advantage.
Miami has won four of the last five meetings between the teams,
but has just a 5-19 all-time mark against Portland.
A 14-1 run that featured four points each by Mason and House
erased an eight-point Portland lead and put Miami up 33-28 with
5:43 left in the second quarter.
Portland scored the next seven points, five by Pippen, and went
on to lead 46-43 at the half.
Game notes
The game concluded the fourth set of back-to-back contests
for the Heat, who have played just 10 games. The team dropped their
first three second-nighters. ... The Trail Blazers came in with 60
blocked shots in their last seven games and a league-best season
average of 7.33 blocks per contest. They managed just three blocks
against Miami. ... Miami extended to 517 its NBA record for
consecutive games with at least one 3-point basket.
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NBA Scoreboard
Portland Clubhouse
Miami Clubhouse
RECAPS
Toronto 111
Milwaukee 102
Washington 109
Boston 89
Minnesota 94
Atlanta 84
Miami 86
Portland 80
New Jersey 97
Indiana 92
Houston 94
Phoenix 89
Denver 87
LA Lakers 86
Utah 109
Chicago 64
Dallas 91
Vancouver 88
Seattle 86
LA Clippers 83
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