Josh Hart Beat The Heat With A Three At The Buzzer In Miami

The Portland Trail Blazers have gotten off to a fast start to the season, entering Monday night’s game in Miami at 6-3 on the young season and got a boost in the form of the return of Damian Lillard after a four-game absence with a calf strain.

Miami took an 8-point lead into the fourth quarter and it seemed like Portland just might not have the juice against the Heat’s swarming defense, but the Blazers came alive in the fourth, scoring 37 points in the final quarter to storm back and take a late lead. After going up three on a pair of Lillard free throws, the Heat had 10 seconds to find an answer and got it in the form of an outrageous Max Strus three over a heavy contest in the corner.

Instead of calling a timeout, Chauncey Billups left the game in the hands of Lillard, who drove up the floor and found a wide open Josh Hart in the corner for the buzzer-beater to give Portland a 110-107 comeback win.

It’s a great play by Lillard to attack downhill and not settle for a contested three (which he’s certainly capable of making) and he draws all of Miami’s attention, blowing by Jimmy Butler and Duncan Robinson, with Kyle Lowry stepping out towards him and never even considering staying with Hart in the corner. Lowry’s contest comes too late as Hart has already let go of the dagger.

It’s a big win for Portland, which continues to prove to be a nightmare to deal with on a nightly basis, as they just keep coming at you and, when the shots start to fall, the offense can be lethal. On the other side, it’s another tough loss for Miami, dropping them to 4-7 on the season as they just cannot quite get it all going at once and will continue their search for consistency with a back-to-back against a struggling Charlotte team next.