Miami Heat

One of the calling cards of Erik Spolestra-coached Miami Heat teams is that they always make the opposition earn it with relentless defensive effort. As the Portland Trail Blazers found out, this is still very much the case. Caleb Martin sets the tempo by picking off an Anfernee Simons pass and racing the other way for a ferocious throwdown, while Jimmy Butler similarly gets the best of All-Star counterpart Damian Lillard with a steal and dunk. Kyle Lowry shows he’s still a menace on the defensive end by turning a steal on Jerami Grant into an assist to Bam Adebayo on the other end, while Tyler Herro shows off his defensive chops by denying Josh Hart at the rim. Even 42-year-old veteran Udonis Haslem got in on the action, blocking Greg Brown III’s shot as the Heat punished Portland with 13 steals, two blocks and 19 forced turnovers in a 119-98 triumph on October 26, 2022.