Caleb Love

If only Caleb Love had gotten a Rising Stars invite

Shaedon Sharpe scored 27 points and had seven rebounds and four steals, and the Portland Trail Blazers extended their winning streak to four games with a 127-110 victory over the Miami Heat on Thursday night. Deni Avdija added 20 points before leaving with a back injury. Caleb Love also had 20 points, Toumani Camara had 16 and Jrue Holiday 15 for the Trail Blazers, who led by as many as 21 and won for the 11th time in 14 games.

After being held to single digits for the first time since before Christmas on Sunday, Love was able to get back on track in this game. Still on a two-way deal, Love has been impressive as a scorer. He's averaging 15.8 points per game in January, which is third among rookies. His fantasy impact is really just points and three-pointers, which gives him some value, but his impact is limited.

The race for NBA rookie of the year between Kon Knueppel and Cooper Flagg stays close, while Caleb Love and Collin Murray-Boyles emerge as key parts.

Avdija was having an excellent night before his lower back flared up, tallying 20 points (6-of-11 FGs, 6-of-6 FTs), seven rebounds, four assists and two three-pointers in 18 minutes. Avdija missed three games earlier this month after injuring his lower back during a January 11 loss to the Knicks. Having Jrue Holiday and Jerami Grant back in the lineup will help account for Avdija's absence, and Caleb Love can also pick up some of the slack from a playmaking standpoint.