PORTLAND, Ore. _ The Heat nearly made it to the All-Star break without a three-game losing streak.
Nearly, but not quite.
Still missing Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro and Meyers Leonard, the Heat hung around throughout but ultimately succumbed to Portland, 115-109, at Moda Center on Sunday night, in the process falling to 0-3 on this road trip and spoiling the encouraging Heat debuts of Andre Iguodala and Jae Crowder.
If Miami doesn't win Monday at Golden State, the Heat would be at grave risk of an 0-5 road trip, with a difficult assignment Wednesday in Utah heading into the break. And remember, this Heat team entered this Western trip with just one losing streak all season (a two-game skid during a lost weekend in New York last month).
The extenuating circumstance, of course, is the absences of Butler, who injured his shoulder in Wednesday's loss to the Clippers; Herro, who hasn't played on this road trip because of an ankle injury and Leonard, who missed a return to Portland because of his ankle injury. Erik Spoelstra on Sunday was non-committal if Butler or Herro would play on this trip.
One positive was the very strong debut of Crowder, who played 34 minutes and was active, producing 18 points, 11 rebounds and three assists and two steals.
Iguodala, who hadn't appeared in an NBA game since June, logged 23 minutes, closing with two points, five rebounds, three assists two steals and a block.
The Heat stayed afloat thanks largely to Crowder, Bam Adebayo (13 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, three blocks), Goran Dragic (27 points, seven assists) and Duncan Robinson (19 points).
Miami rallied from 11-point first half deficit to take the lead in the second quarter, then unraveled early in the third and was victimized by a five-point swing on an overturned foul late in the third.
Instead of upholding a Portland foul on a Dragic three-pointer in the final moments of the third, the call was overturned, with Damian Lillard instead getting _ and making two free throws _ on a Dragic foul on that play.
So instead of potentially trailing by five after three, the Heat instead entered the fourth behind, 93-83.
Miami closed to within 99-97 on a Dragic three with just over five minutes left, but Gary Trent followed with a three and Lillard then hit a tough shot and converted a free throw to put Portland back up eight.
And after an Adebayo basket pulled the Heat to within 111-108, Lillard drove past Crowder for a layup with 25 seconds remaining.
Five takeaways from the Heat's win:
_ Iguodala and Crowder had some very good moments in their Heat debuts and both played throughout crunch time.
Crowder was the Heat's second player off the bench, behind Goran Dragic, and Iguodala the third. And the Heat generally played well with them on the floor; Iguodala finished at a plus 11, Crowder a plus 8.
Iguodala blocked a Mario Hezonja shot and had two steals in the first minute of the fourth quarter. He had two assists but didn't attempt a shot in his first 12 minutes of action before attempting _ and airballing _ a corner three early in the fourth. He then made his only basket, on a layup off a nifty move under the basket.
This was Iguodala's first NBA game since June, but as Derrick Jones Jr. and Udonis Haslem said before the game, you never would have known his practice Saturday was his first NBA practice since last June. Haslem said teammates marveled at his conditioning, achieved through boxing and pilates and vigorous workouts..
Asked before the game if Iguodala was ready for game action after an 8-month layoff, Spoelstra said:"I don't know if he's ready or not, but I'm playing him. The guy is a freak. Six% body fat. To be off that kind of time, he looks incredible. That's not basketball shape. We get it. How do you get somebody in basketball shape? You play him in a basketball game and start that process."
Crowder shot only 29% on threes with Memphis this season but made five of them on Sunday, on eight attempts. Overall, he closed 6 for 11 from the field.
He made an immediate impact, with eight points, six rebounds and two steals in 16 first half minutes.
With Butler, Herro and Leonard all sidelined, the Heat played only four off the bench _ Goran Dragic, Crowder, Iguodala and Silva.
_ Neither Adebayo nor Hassan Whiteside had the clear edge in a matchup of former teammates.
Adebayo opened each half defending Carmelo Anthony, with Kelly Olynyk on Whiteside. But Adebayo also got plenty of time on Whiteside and Whiteside defended Adebayo on the other end.
They know each other's games intimately well, and Adebayo smartly went right at Whiteside on a couple of occasions, with mixed success.
Whiteside _ who entered averaging 15 points and 14 rebounds _ finished with 11 points, 17 rebounds and four blocks. He was briefly energized by a block of Chris Silva but then missed from close range on the other end.
Adebayo's six assists in the first half matched Whiteside's six in 48 games in his first season with the Heat. Adebayo blocked a Whiteside shot in the fourth quarter.
Adebayo, incidentally, was named one of 44 finalists for the 2020 U.S. Olympic team. So was Butler.
_ Where would the Heat be without Duncan Robinson's breakout season? Robinson hit four threes in the first quarter to keep the Heat afloat, en route to a 19-point night.
With 180 threes for the season, Robinson ranks fifth in the league in that category, behind only James Harden, Damian Lillard, Buddy Hield and Davonte' Graham.
What's more, Robinson 44.1% accuracy on threes is the best in the league for players who rank in the top 10 in made threes.
And with six threes on Sunday, he has now made multiple threes in 22 consecutive games, extending his franchise record.
_ The Heat held Lillard below his average during this recent remarkable roll of his, but he got hot late and the Heat's problems defending the three continued.
Lillard _ who scored 33 _ entered having averaged an absurd 40.9 points, 9.3 assists and 4.9 rebounds over his previous 11 games, on an equally absurd 50.4% accuracy on three-pointers.
But he took just eight shots in an 11-point first half before becoming more aggressive in the second half, closing 10 for 21.
Meanwhile, after giving up a franchise record 24 threes against the Clippers and 19 in the loss to Sacramento, the Heat relinquished 19 again, with Lillard hitting six, Trent five and McCollom and Carmelo Anthony three apiece.
_ Kendrick Nunn's mini-slump continues.
Nunn's his exemplary rookie season has had a couple of to-be-expected speed bumps. But this weekend's shooting slump comes at an inopportune time, with Butler and Herro out.
He was 2 for 10 in the first half and 4 for 17 for the game, after shooting 5 for 17 and 6 for 19 to begin the West Coast trip.
The Heat's starting lineup of Abebayo, Nunn, Jones, Robinson and Kelly Olynyk entered having played just 13 minutes all season and outscored by six points in those minutes.
That quintet played at a deficit to start both halves on Sunday, with Crowder summoned after Olynyk picked up his fourth foul early in the third quarter.
