Portland Trail Blazers vs Miami Heat Prediction: Trail Blazers uncharacteristically hot, Heat uncharacteristically cold

The NBA has brought to us a bunch of surprises early in the season and there is no doubt that we have seen some up-and-down results. But it is WAY too early, we are barely two weeks into the season and we can’t build a long-term picture yet but props to the teams that came prepared for the season. The scoring has been higher than usual but it will likely go down as the defenses get prepared. In this game, a red-hot Portland Trail Blazers will take on the ice-cold Miami Heat.

The Trail Blazers remain the only undefeated team in the Western Conference and they have made a big impact early on, surpassing the expectations thus far. The defense looks much better than last season and the addition of Jerami Grant has helped for sure. Their offense is also clicking and the major reason for that is that they have found a balanced lineup they have someone like Grant who is well-versed at entering the paint while Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons form a backcourt that can both shoot and drive hard to the rim.

Rebounding-wise, Josh Hart has boosted the team as an off-guard who can pluck up rebounds and push the pace. Jusuf Nurkic continues to be a double-double threat in the middle whereas Justise Winslow has been solid on defense off-the-bench. Shaedon Sharpe, the rookie has shown long-range shooting prowess. Overall, Portland has given their fans a great surprise already but the season is long and there are some issues that can surface but as of now, they are on fire.

The Heat has lost three of their four games and they have had a tough schedule to begin the season. They have struggled offensively and their long-range shooting has especially been off. Jimmy Butler continues to shoulder the major burden on offense, scoring 23 points a game while shooting close to 50%. Tyler Herro has been effective too but Bam Adebayo has averaged below 14 points which have shaved off some points for sure. Max Strus has hit the mark but Kyle Lowry’s game has surely receded since a couple of sons. Duncan Robinson is lost in the rotation but the Heat needs someone to pick up their long-range bombing.

The defense is solid but not as effective as last season, giving up around 108 a game thus far. Their long-range defense has been underwhelming as they have given up around 40% from there which means they have been highly outgunned from long-range repeatedly. The Heat has begun on a rather underwhelming note and one huge concern is that they don’t look as dialed-in as much as they should. The upcoming schedule isn’t easy either with the team facing the Warriors twice a week.

• Portland Trail Blazers: OUT: Trendon Watford, Gary Payton II, Olivier Sarr, QUESTIONABLE: Justice Winslow;
• Miami Heat: OUT: Omer Yurtseven, Victor Oladipo.

• 20+ Points Candidates: Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Damian Lillard, Anfernee Simons;
• 8+ Rebounds Candidates: Bam Adebayo, Jusuf Nurkic, Josh Hart;
• 5+ Assists Candidates: Damian Lillard, Kyle Lowry, Jimmy Butler.

The Trail Blazers are the most on-fire team in the league and they have taken care of business on both ends with their backcourt firing on all cylinders. The Heat hasn’t played the same brand of basketball that we are used to seeing but with their experience, they have the tools to step it up. The defense of Heat needs to fix but it is the offensive end that is a bigger concern. Playing away from home, the Heat will need to ramp it up because you don’t want to get behind early and then play catch-up. I believe they will stall Trail Blazers’ winning streak here. I see the points range being 215-225.