Another 3 for James Jones!

He's 5 of 6 from the field for 14 points on the night and that brings his running two game total to 11 for 13! One game after going 4 for 4 from three-point land, Jones has started off shooting 4 of 5 from deep, meaning (if my math's correct) he's 8 of 9 from deep in the past two games.

Heading into halftime, Jones leads all Trail Blazers with 14 points and he also has 2 rebounds in 11 minutes of play.

Shooting guard Brandon Roy has 7 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists... LaMarcus Aldridge is almost half way to a double-double with 6 points and 4 rebounds... Travis Outlaw has 8 points and 3 rebounds...

For the Heat, well, there's not really much to say. The Trail Blazers have out-scored their opponent 5 to 2 from the perimeter (on 50% shooting versus 33% for the Heat), they've gotten 38 points from their bench compared to just 17 for the Heat, and the Trail Blazers have 15 assists against just 10.

Surprisingly, Portland has also out-rebounded the Miami Heat (24 - 20) and scored more points in the paint (20 - 16).

Dwyane Wade is Miami's leading scorer with 7 points at halftime, and he's followed by both Jason Williams and Ricky Davis, who have 6 each.

In 15 minutes of play, Shaquille O'Neal has 4 points and 5 rebounds, but he's just 2 of 7 from the foul line. Credit the defensive scheme and the individual efforts of Raef LaFrentz, Channing Frye and especially Joel Przybilla, who has returned from his early bloody nose to anchor the Trail Blazers last line of defense.

Three things to look for in the second half-

1.) Trail Blazer intensity! With a 14 point lead, the Trail Blazers need to slam the door early and stop Dwyane Wade and company from creeping back into this game. Brandon Roy should look to score off the dribble, Jarrett Jack needs to maintain his aggressiveness and James Jones - well - he just needs to keep shooting.

2.) LaMarcus Aldridge. Nothing really in particular- he just needs to keep up his activity down on the low block. When the Heat switch on the pick-and-roll, Aldridge should take advantage of his speed and torch whomever is left in his wake.

3.) Get out the binoculars because we might get some rare sightings tonight (hopefully!). If the Trail Blazers can come out hot in the third quarter, rookie Josh McRoberts might get to show off that McDonalds All-American slam dunk championship winning 360 windmill throw-down that he frequently drops during warm-ups... The night, however, will not be complete until we get a Penny Hardaway sighting. I was always a fan of "Lil' Penny" and "Blue Chips" is one of the greatest sports movies of all-time!

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