Jimmy Butler’s season-high 37 points led six Miami scorers into double figures and the Heat held off the visiting Utah Jazz, 126-120 on Saturday.
Butler scored 25 points in the second half and Miami needed all of its effort in a game with 11 ties and 21 lead changes.
Keyonte George fueled Utah, finishing with 31 points, two short of the career high he set on February 15. George shot 6 of 14 from 3-point range to lead the Jazz to a 14 of 35 effort from beyond the limit. bow.
Lauri Markkanen shot 4 of 9 from distance and made 11 of 12 from the free throw line en route to 25 points. Markkanen also dished out a team-high six assists.
The Jazz went on a 9-0 run just before halftime and scored the first seven points after intermission to lead by as many as 11 in the third quarter.
But Utah couldn’t overcome Butler and Miami after the Heat took a lead in the fourth quarter. Twice in the final 2:17 when the Jazz got within six points, Butler provided the answer – including a three-point play with 1:11 left to cap his performance and effectively put the game away. side.
Bam Adebayo scored 23 points in the win and grabbed seven rebounds, Terry Rozier had 14 points and eight assists, and Duncan Robinson — starting with Tyler Herro (knee) out for a fourth straight game — opted to 12 points and six assists.
Thirty-three of Miami’s 46 goals were assisted to propel the Heat to their highest-scoring game since December 2.
Caleb Martin (18 points) and Jaime Jaquez Jr. (12) came off the bench to complement Miami’s double-digit scoring efforts. Martin shot 4 of 6 from 3-point range.
Collin Sexton and John Collins each scored 18 points for Utah, which lost its eighth decision in the last nine games. Taylor Hendricks had 13 rebounds, a record for the Jazz.
–Field media/Reuters
