PORTLAND — Even though it was their opponent who clinched a playoff spot, Saturday night’s game against the Miami Heat brought another milestone and an important home win for the Trail Blazers.
Although it didn’t tantalize from a competitive point of view, after the Blazers recorded their fourth straight win with a rout over the Heat 110-93, Portland looks like a team getting hot at the right time.
“I’d say we’re playing pretty good basketball, preparing ourselves for the playoffs,” guard Allen Crabbe said. “We have to kick it into another gear getting ready for that. I feel like we’re just focused. We’re executing at a high level right now.”
Shooting guard CJ McCollum had a game-high 24 points, including a perfect 6-for-6 from 3 to go with seven assists and four steals.
A 3-pointer from McCollum with 5:45 left in the fourth quarter broke the franchise record for 3-pointers in a season (807), held by the 2014-15 team, making an important win even sweeter.
“Maybe from the outside people were surprised because we didn’t have a lot of guys who are labeled as shooters,” Damian Lillard said. “We saw our team and we played pick up, we knew people could shoot the ball better than people expected or people knew.”
McCollum’s big night and tough defense all night helped the Blazers survive another rough shooting night from Lillard, who has shot 29.3 percent from the field over the last five games.
The win helped bring the Blazers to within half-game of the Memphis Grizzlies for fifth place in the Western Conference and got them one game closer to clinching a playoff spot for the third straight season despite losing four starters from last year’s team.
“We want it,” Lillard said of the fifth seed. “We’re in a position to get it done. As long as we focus on ourselves and keep doing things that give us a chance to win games, it’s definitely possible. That would be huge.”
The Heat were without leading scorer and sure-fire Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade, who missed his second straight game with neck and back injuries after a fall he suffered against the Lakers earlier in the week.
Miami could have used his offense Saturday night as it shot 38 percent from the field as a team.
The Blazers could hardly miss from three when they got their opportunities, making 10 of their 16 3-point attempt, the fewest attempts they’ve had in a game this season.
“We just moved the ball, got out and ran when we got stops. Besides me turning the ball over we were getting good shots,” McCollum said, pointing to his five turnovers, the lone blemish on an excellent night.
“It was just another day at the office for CJ,” Crabbe said.
With the ability to get stops, the Blazers had success taking the ball back the other way in transition.
Portland had a 18-4 advantage in fast-break points.
The Blazers started Saturday’s game as the more aggressive team but the tone of the game changed when the Heat brought Hassan Whiteside, the NBA’s leader in blocks by a considerable margin, off the bench.
Whiteside changed shots in the paint and got to work against the Blazers’ big men on the block, helping the Heat swing the game back in their favor.
The Blazers had another excellent outing from their bench as Gerald Henderson poured in 17 points.
For the Heat, the player making the most impact on the game was Whiteside and when he wasn’t on the floor, the Heat had trouble keeping things close.
“He blocks everything, so you always have to be looking for him,” McCollum said of Whiteside. “He has a big block radius, takes up a lot of space. He’s a really good player and he’s going to get paid.”
Whiteside finished with 20 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks in over 28 minutes of action.
However, the Heat were unable to generate offense against the Blazers all night and Whiteside’s presence could make up for the disparity between the teams Saturday.
The Blazers, with a game against the defending champion Golden State Warriors Sunday in Oakland, took care of business and allowed Lillard to sit the entire fourth quarter.
