Saturday afternoon, the Utah Jazz head to the Kaseya Center for a road clash against the Miami heat. The Jazz lost to the Orlando Magic on Friday. The Heat fell to the Denver Nuggets. Tip-off is at 5:10 p.m. ET. Miami opens as a home favorite.
Jazz autumn on the road
The Jazz were outscored by 10 points in the fourth quarter Thursday night in Orlando, en route to a 115-107 loss, their seventh in eight games. John Collins, Keyonte George and Collin Sexton each scored 19 points and Lauri Markkanen added 18.
Utah stayed alive with 16 of 37 shooting from beyond the arc. But, playing without Walker Kessler, the NBA’s No. 3 shot blocker, the Jazz had just one block and were outscored 45-37. Walker is out with a sprained right foot and will not play in this game against the Heat. “We put ourselves in a position to win the game. That’s where we want to be with two minutes to go, one point ahead,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “I felt like down the stretch, there were a few plays that just didn’t go our way. … Jalen Suggs had a couple 3s late. That can happen in an NBA game.
Including Thursday’s game against the Magic, Lauri Markkanen has shot 40 percent or less from the field in three of Utah’s four games since the All-Star break. The good news is he’s scored 18 or more three times, with Tuesday’s loss to the Hawks being the exception. But Utah lost all three games in which its star forward struggled, and they are now 1-7 in their last eight.
Heat loss against the reigning champions
In a rematch of last year’s NBA Finals, the Miami Heat lost a game 103-97 to the Denver Nuggets. They trailed by 16 in the fourth quarter, but closed the gap late. This was the first meeting between the Heat and Nuggets since their NBA Finals clash last June. The Nuggets defeated the Heat in five games for their first NBA crown. Bam Adebayo had 22 points and Jimmy Butler added 21. Due to injuries, Miami was without Kevin Love, Tyler Herro and Josh Richardson. The Heat won five of six games on a trip that included two games before the All-Star break. “Our guys have the grit and grit to keep fighting back,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said Associated Press journalists. “There was a bit of difficulty offensively, and that’s a credit to their defense.”
Before the loss, Miami had won five in a row. The game was weak and had a playoff feel, but Bam managed to lead the team in scoring and score at least 20 for the fourth time in his last five games. He also knocked down all six of his attempts from the free throw line, which was a solid rebounding performance after shooting 3 of 7 in their last game.
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Rating:
Miami played a high-intensity game against a lethal Nuggets, losing 103-97 in a low-scoring affair. They were on a hot streak before the loss, winning five in a row, and Jimmy Butler is back in the lineup. Due to injuries, Miami was without Kevin Love, Tyler Herro and Josh Richardson. Herro is questionable, but who cares, with Bam and Butler in the lineup it doesn’t matter who plays alongside them. Jaime Jaquez has been a great signing and will play another important role if Herro and Richardson miss the game. Utah had a rough patch and failed to cover the spread in seven of eight games. Take the Heat to win and win big.
Prediction: Miami Heat -8.5 (-110)
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Rating:
Utah is seventh in pace heading into this inter-conference matchup with the Heat. They have been porous on the defensive end, ranked 25th in defensive rating. Opposing teams are shooting over 39% from beyond the arc, putting the Jazz second to last in 3-point defense. Miami will more than oblige with an increased pace. The total has gone over in five of Miami’s last six games against the Jazz. Both clubs aren’t giving up many points, hence the lower total, but with the Jazz up-tempo and Miami playing its best basketball of the year, this game will be over. Take it.
Prediction: MORE
