The Miami Heat (5-4) are hosting the Portland Trail Blazers (5-3) tonight at the Kaseya Center for regular season NBA action. The main question regarding the home team’s lineup is the status of sharpshooter Norman Powell.
According to the latest official NBA injury report, the Heat have listed Norman Powell as available for tonight’s contest against the Blazers in Miami.
The Heat are playing a back-to-back after defeating the Charlotte Hornets in the NBA Cup tournament. In that victory, the Heat set an impressive franchise record by scoring 53 points in the first quarter, the highest single-quarter output in team history. Powell was a major contributor in that win, playing 27 minutes and recording 25 points, four rebounds, and three assists.
Powell is currently enjoying the best statistical season of his career so far, though it is still early. The former Clippers guard is averaging 23.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists through the six games he has played with the Heat.
Powell leads the league in key statistic
With the absence of Tyler Herro due to surgery, many expected the Heat to struggle offensively. However, Norman Powell has capably filled the void, taking over as the team’s primary offensive leader. He is currently averaging 23.5 points per night on 47% shooting from the field and 50% from deep.
Remarkably, the former Clippers star is dominating the first quarter of games; he is the second-leading scorer in the entire league in the opening frame, averaging 10.2 points per night, trailing only Luka Doncic, who sits at 13.2 points, according to Sports Illustrated.
“I’m just being aggressive and the ball is going in,” Powell said in a press conference after the Heat’s win over the Hornets. “My focus is just making the right reads and plays and what the defense is giving me. It gets us going, it gets us feeling good. When I’m aggressive like that, it gets guys to find their spots”.