Due to the absence of Olajuwon and Charles Barkley, the game between the Trail Blazers and the Heat was uneventful, lacking suspense.
After the All-Star Game, Gan Guoyang was in scorching form, and without the two main cores, no one on the Heat's inside could stop him from rampaging in the low post.
98:91, the Trail Blazers defeated the Heat by an 8-point advantage on the road, handing the Heat their second consecutive loss and getting their Eastern road trip off to a good start.
Kobe, who started in the game, scored 17 points, shooting 6 of 10, and 2 of 3 from three-point range, performing rather well.
Though Drexler also scored 24 points, he seemed to lack interest throughout the game, and even when Kobe broke through and dunked on him, Drexler had little response or display.
He just smiled, received the pass, and continued to participate in the offense normally, not taking Kobe's smugness to heart — he really looked like he needed a beating.
