Hartbreaker in Miami as Heat fall to the Portland Trailblazers

The Miami Heat had one of their more complete performances, but it was not enough as a Josh Hart corner three at the buzzer sealed a hartbreaking 110-107 loss to the Portland Trailblazers at FTX Arena. In a game where Miami led by as many as 11 points in the fourth quarter and Portland star Damian Lillard only scored 19 points on 4-of-12 shooting, the Heat were out executed down the stretch.

For starters, the Heat were without the usual suspects Victor Oladipo and Omer Yurtseven, but also added to the injury report was Tyler Herro. His absence from the game was certainly going to make creating offense tougher for Miami, but things were actually flowing very well as Miami finished with 28 assists on 40 field goals. Miami also got an incredibly balanced scoring attack tonight as all eight players that suited up scored between nine and 16 points. That's usually a recipe for a Heat win, but as has been the case for quite some time now, the late game execution just was not there.

Though it is a brutal ending, I can't get upset with it. Erik Spoelstra and the coaching staff drew up a solid play to get Max Strus a decent look in the corner which goes in and ties the game at 107. Unfortunately, the Trailblazers and Lillard specifically had the awareness to push the ball up the floor before Miami can set up defensively and found Hart open in the corner for the game winning bucket. It was a great shot to win it and just an unfortunate ending for the Heat, who now fall to 4-7 with this recent loss.

Despite the loss, flowers need to be given to Kyle Lowry after a strong performance in which he scored 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting, dished out eight assists and grabbed seven boards. Love it when Lowry is engaged, but it's hard not to think his aggression had something to do with Herro being out. An all-around game from the floor general, but that is really all I'll say about it.

Jimmy Butler did his thing on both ends after returning from an injury that kept him out the passed two games. He was playing at his pace as he usually does, but I have to say that his coasting, though necessary, make it difficult for the Heat to create consistent offense. Butler finished the game with a solid line of 16 points, seven assists and four rebounds. Do need to mention that he had six (!) steals in tonights game as well, which marks the second time he has done that already this season. Just goes to show that Jimmy continues to have a massive impact for the Heat on both ends of the court. Unfortunately, it looks like the talent on this team just isn't there at the moment and he's going to have to take on a bigger responsibility from night to night.

I always seem to want more from Bam Adebayo every time I watch him play, but I actually felt like he played tonight with a great amount of aggression. It's a bonus that he did that while only committing one foul tonight. He continues to be the key that makes everything work for Miami defensively and his skill set on offense looks stronger as the season progresses. One thing not trending in the right direction over the last four games is Bam's attempts at the free throw line. In the first seven games he was averaging 5.1 free throws per game and in the last four that number is down to 2.5.

The rest of the team played solid as everyone chipped in a some point during this game. Dewayne Dedmon was having another strong game off the bench. The duo of Gabe Vincent and Caleb Martin at the top of that 2-3 zone is incredibly lethal. Duncan Robinson continues to do a little bit of everything when he's out there and the gravity he has on the court is special. Max Strus didn't have his best defensive showing, but he continues to be the only other consistent scoring option outside of the Jimmy, Bam and Tyler.

Quick shout out to former Heat player Justise Winslow, who had a strong game off the bench for Portland. He finished the game with 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting, two rebounds, two assists, a steal and a team-best +15. Just doing the little things on both ends and making an impact for this exciting Trailblazers team.

Next up for Miami they have a matchup against the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday November 10th at 7:30 PM EST at FTX Arena. The Hornets have not been a very good team to start the year, but one of their strengths so far this year has been their rebounding, so the Heat will have to be extremely disciplined. No easy wins in the NBA. This team is learning that.