MIAMI – After a career night for Miami Heat star Nikola Jovic in the win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday, 136-131, there was the general sentiment of excitement surrounding the 22-year-old. With Jovic thriving in the Heat's new and improved offense, there was also another factor that led to the standout performance.

In the win over Portland, which marked four straight victories at home, Jovic would score a career-high 29 points on making 10 shots out of 16 attempts from the field, three of seven from deep, to go along with nine rebounds and seven assists. Though he admitted after the contest that he felt he was holding back the team with him slowly adjusting to the new system, the motivation from his teammates, especially Norman Powell, was key to keeping him level-headed.

“Just for me, talking to them mentally. Young guys, they worry about the other things,” Powell said. “You know, all the missed shots, the turnovers. They get upset when they don't make a play that they feel like they should have shot or passed. You know, they're very selfless guys, but they get down on themselves a little bit, especially Niko, so just staying in his ear throughout the course of the game, before and after, you know, keeping him positive and not focused on the mistakes.”

“I told him after the first timeout, I don't want to see his body language go down when he makes a bad play, turnover, missed shot, or whatever, like, stay even-keeled, it's a long game, and he's too talented for that,” Powell continued. “And I thought he did a great job tonight, staying with it in attack mode, reading the game, getting to his spots, and making the plays that were in front of him.”

Heat's Nikola Jovic was “due” for a career game

Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic (5) looks to pass the ball as Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija (8) defends in the first quarter at Kaseya Center.
Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
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As the Heat were coming off a big win over the Charlotte Hornets, the team would face the challenge of taking on a Portland team that runs at the second-fastest pace in the league (106.11 possessions per 48 minutes), with Miami (106.95) being the first. It was a back-and-forth game, filled with endless flashes of sequences, with Miami getting bigger performances from their players, like Jovic.

With Jovic having 29 points and Powell having 22, another player who has benefited from the up-tempo offense is Jaime Jaquez Jr., who has been a standout this season, scoring 14 points to go along with 12 rebounds and seven assists. For Jaquez, Jovic was “due” for a game like he had on Saturday.

“Should have had 30…I’m just kidding,” Jaquez said. “Really happy for him. He's been playing great, working so hard, and he's due for a night like that. He's really a guy that can bring this team to the next level. You know, just keep continuing to feed confidence in him. He's an incredible player, and he showed that tonight.”

The goal now is for Jovic to stack good nights with the next chance being Monday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers.