Final
James delivers late as Heat edge Blazers
Mar 25, 2014 - 4:14 AM Miami, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - LeBron James deposited 32 points and the game- winning layup as the Miami Heat held off the Portland Trail Blazers, 93-91, at American Airlines Arena on Monday.After a pair of Mo Williams free throws with 30.9 seconds left capped a 7-0 Blazers run to knot the score at 91-91, James made amends for a pair of turnovers on the previous two Miami possessions by driving left and converting a contested layup with 11.4 seconds showing.
"I was able to get into the lane and finish," said James.
The Blazers chose to play it out without calling a timeout and put the ball in All-Star Damian Lillard's hands. As the clock trickled down, Lillard put a move on a Miami defender and got to the rim, but Chris Bosh was there to deny his scoop layup at the buzzer.
Bosh finished with 15 points on his 30th birthday and Chris Andersen added 13 points with 11 rebounds off the bench as Miami completed the season sweep of the Blazers.
"Our effort and intensity was great throughout the game and then we made a couple of mistakes and the momentum changed," said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. "They're a great-shooting team and they got on a roll at the end and made it a harrowing finish, but for the most part I like the way our guys played."
Lillard paced Portland with 19 points, Williams chimed in with 17 points and Wesley Matthews scored 15 for the ailing Blazers, who were once again without star LaMarcus Aldridge (back). The Blazers fell to 0-2 on their current five- game road trip.
Greg Oden's jam at 7:21 of the third put the finishing touches on a 13-6 flurry to open the second half, as the Heat turned a 46-42 halftime margin into an 11-point lead. Bosh did most of the damage during the surge, potting a pair of 3-pointers, a short hook and a free throw.
Oden, the top pick in the 2007 draft by Portland, played for the first time against his former team.
The hosts led comfortably until the final minutes, when Portland went on a run to make it a game.
After Matthews hit a 3 to pull Portland within five, Mario Chalmers made it 91-84 with a jumper. Lopez got things started for the Blazers with a pair of free throws, Nicolas Batum hit a trey and Williams tied it from the stripe.
"I was proud of the way we competed and got back into the game," said Blazers coach Terry Stotts. "It was a frustrating night from the offensive standpoint. We didn't shoot particularly well but we made some shots at the end to get back into it."
Portland led 7-4 early on when a pair of James dunks ignited Miami's offense. Chalmers made it 10-4 with a driving layup, but the Heat point guard injured his right leg on the play and was helped back to the locker room. He would return to pour in 11 points.
The Blazers held Miami to just four points over the final three minutes of the first and finished the frame on an 11-4 run to take a 25-22 lead into the second.
The spread reached six points midway through the period on a Williams' 3- ball, but the Heat had momentum heading into intermission after Ray Allen's triple with 13 seconds to play boosted them to a 46-42 advantage.
Portland never led after halftime.
Game Notes
Miami has won four of five in the series ... Dwyane Wade (rest) did not play ... The Heat doubled Portland's output in the paint, 52-26, and won the rebounding margin, 48-44 ... Aldridge missed his sixth straight game. He is with the team on its road trip and is considered day-to-day ... Batum had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Mar 24 9:56 PM- PORTLAND: 91
MIAMI: 93
End of Regulation
Mar 24 9:55 PM - PORTLAND: 61
MIAMI: 72
End of 3rd
Mar 24 9:19 PM - PORTLAND: 42
MIAMI: 46
Halftime
Mar 24 8:36 PM - PORTLAND: 25
MIAMI: 22
End of 1st
Mar 24 8:10 PM - PORTLAND: 0
MIAMI: 2
1st Quarter - 11:44
Mar 24 7:44 PM
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