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Bosh buries late 3-pointer to push Miami past Portland

Dec 29, 2013 - 6:45 AM Portland, OR (SportsNetwork.com) - No LeBron James, no problem.

Chris Bosh stepped up in a big way for the short-handed Miami Heat, scoring 37 points and knocking down a go-ahead 3-pointer in the final seconds of a 108-107 road victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday.

Miami trailed 107-105 with 7.7 ticks left after a pair of Nicolas Batum free throws. Out of a timeout, Dwyane Wade drove right and drew a double-team, leaving Bosh open on the left wing. Wade threw a low behind-the-back pass for Bosh, who gathered himself and shot a high-arcing 3 that hit nothing but net with less than a second remaining.

"I had space and I was able to lock in to the goal the whole time," said Bosh. "It's one of those surreal moments you get every now and then. You cherish it and move on."

Portland's inbounds pass went toward the rim, where LaMarcus Aldridge's tip layup missed as the buzzer sounded.

"It was tough to judge how hard I should shoot it falling backwards," said Aldridge. "If I could go back in time I might try to go glass."

Bosh shot 15-of-26 from the floor, including a 3-of-3 mark from behind the arc -- all in the fourth quarter -- and added 10 rebounds in his first 30-point game since he scored 32 on Feb. 12 when the Heat hosted Portland.

"I wanted to be aggressive at all times," Bosh said. "Sometimes you have to do it on both ends and I'm proud of that."

Wade added 16 points for the Heat, and Mario Chalmers flirted with a triple- double, tallying nine points, nine rebounds and nine assists.

James (groin, ankle) did not dress for the first time this season. He is considered day-to-day.

Wesley Matthews and Aldridge netted 23 and 22 points, respectively, to pace Portland, which lost for just the third time in 15 home tilts this season. Robin Lopez scored 17 points, Damian Lillard had 16 with seven assists and Batum registered 11 points, nine assists and six boards.

Late in the back-and-forth affair, Bosh hit a 3 to put Miami in front 101-98. Bosh added a tip-in amid four Aldridge points, but Wade fouled Batum on the arm attempting a 3 with 32 seconds to go.

Batum calmly stepped to the line and sank all three free throws before Wade redeemed himself for the foul by coasting in for a jam. The dunk tied it at 105 apiece.

Lillard, who has four game-winners to his credit, got the call on Portland's next possession but Miami's defense collapsed on his drive and the ball popped loose. Batum scooped it up and drew yet another foul -- this time on Ray Allen -- and made two free throws before Bosh won it for Miami.

Earlier, Miami was the more aggressive team out of the gate, claiming an 11-3 edge 2:17 in. Portland turned it on out of a timeout and led 34-30 after 12 minutes of play.

The Blazers led by nine on three different occasions during the second quarter but never went on a decisive run. The Heat hung around, trailing by just four at halftime. They jumped in front on a Rashard Lewis triple midway through the third, and neither club managed to pull away after that.

Game Notes

Miami outscored Portland 60-32 in the paint... Portland won the rebounding margin 41-35 ... There were only 25 fouls called in the game, 13 on the Heat and 12 on the Blazers ... Joel Freeland had a career-best 12 rebounds off Portland's bench ... This was Portland's first loss against an Eastern Conference opponent this season.