PORTLAND — Hassan Whiteside had 28 points and 11 rebounds, and the Miami Heat snapped a three-game losing streak with a 118-108 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night.
Dwyane Wade added 22 points and nine rebounds for the Heat in the first of a five-game road trip.
CJ McCollum had 33 points for the Trail Blazers, who had won three straight but were coming off a five-day layoff. The loss snapped an eight-game winning streak for Portland at home.
Miami led by 15 points heading into the final quarter but Portland rallied with a 9-2 run capped by Seth Curry’s 3-pointer that pulled the Blazers to 96-88. Evan Turner’s layup and free throw got the Blazers closer.
McCollum’s 3-pointer closed the gap to 101-100 with 6:54 left. James Johnson answered with a 3 for Miami to momentarily slow Portland’s momentum until Meyers Leonard’s 3.
Whiteside’s basket and a pair of free throws from Johnson kept Miami in front 108-103, and the Heat were able to hold off the Blazers the rest of the way.
Miami was coming off an 0-3 homestand, capped by a 95-88 loss Saturday to Indiana, The Heat had 24 turnovers in the loss.
Heat coach Eric Spoelstra inserted Kelly Olynyk into the starting lineup, replacing Johnson. It was Olynyk’s sixth start of the season.
Portland was coming off a 132-105 victory at home over the Jazz last Wednesday. Jusuf Nurkic did not play because of right knee soreness, but he started against the Heat.
Rodney Hood, acquired by the Trail Blazers in a trade with Cleveland on Sunday, did not play. He arrived in Portland on Monday and had not had a workout with the team.
The Heat led by as many as nine points in the opening quarter. Tyler Johnson’s layup gave the Heat a 56-44 lead with 3:51 left in the first half. Whiteside’s free throws stretched the lead.
The Heat were up 55-62 going into the break, paced by Josh Richardson with 16 points. Jake Layman came off the bench and led the Blazers with 16.
Whiteside’s short jumper gave the Heat a 75-63 lead midway through the third period.
Portland began to close the gap a bit with CJ McCollum’s 3-pointer pulling the Blazers to 77-70 but Miami led 94-79 heading into the final quarter.
It became official on Tuesday, both Curry and Damian Lillard will take part in the 3-point contest at the All-Star game.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for Seth to compete against his brother in Charlotte, that’s awesome, and for Dame to get another shot at it, it’s terrific,” Blazers coach Terry Stotts said.
