The woes continue for the Portland Trail Blazers. On Tuesday, the team suffered its ninth straight loss against the Miami Heat, 106-96. To make things worse, center Deandre Ayton suffered a right-hand sprain following a collision with Miami's Kevin Love during the first quarter.

As Ayton attacked the basket, Love attempted to draw a charge, and the resulting collision caused Ayton to fall to the ground with his wrists in an uncomfortable position. (via ClutchPoints and Blazers Nation)

The Blazers big man still saw action during the second quarter but was ruled out the entire second half. In over 18 minutes of playing time, Ayton had a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Following the game, Portland head coach Chauncey Billups said that the x-rays on Ayton's right hand came back negative. While there will be more imaging follow-ups to go, no broken bones were found. (per Blazers reporter Casey Holdahl)

The Blazers led by as much as 15 points during the first half and entered halftime with a 10-point cushion. However, without Deandre Ayton's presence in the last two quarters, the Heat surged back, tasting their first lead of the game with 4:07 left in the third period.

It was a close affair early in the fourth but sooner or later, Miami pushed the lead to double-digits and sealed the win.

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For the Blazers, Anfernee Simons led the way with 26 points while forward Jerami Grant added 24 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

On the other corner, Jimmy Butler paced Miami with 22 points, nine assists and four steals.

The Blazers look to end their losing streak when they face the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.