The Miami Heat come into the Kaseya Center after being gone since Feb. 11 and get the win over the Utah Jazz, 126-120. This means the team as won 10 of their last 13 games.
FINAL: Heat 126 – Jazz 120
Miami outlasts Utah in the fourth quarter and gets the bounce back win after the loss in Denver.
37 points from Butler, incredible. Bam with 23 points and seven rebounds. Detroit comes into town Tuesday. #HeatCulture
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) March 3, 2024
Jimmy Butler showed exactly how explosive he can be and take over the game as he scored a season-high 37 points, recorded seven assists, and collected three rebounds. Bam Adebayo left the game during the middle, but came back and scored 23 points while collecting seven rebounds.
On the Jazz's side, Lauri Markkanen had 25 points to go with six assists and four rebounds. He was silent for most of the start, so Keyonte George carried the weight and a team-high 31 points.
Here is a look at each half, including three takeaways from the Heat's win against the Jazz Saturday:
Close first half for the Heat and Jazz
The Heat had a good start to the game scoring 30 points in the first quarter, but the Jazz got the upper-hand with 34 as they found their spots. Miami would also have four turnovers in the period compared to Utah who had none.
They were pretty much going back and forth for most of it, but the Jazz would get more opportunties off the aforementioned turnovers and their four offensive rebounds compared to the Heat's two. In any sense, it was still a quarter to build off of as Miami shot 55 percent from the field and made four of their eight attempts from three-point range. As for Utah, they shot 46.4 percent from the field and made five of their 13 attempts from deep.
The second quarter was more of the same as the Heat had a solid offensive period with 28, but Utah matched it. It has been a struggle defensively for Miami even as the arguable best player on the Jazz in Markkanen was on a down game making only two shots out of his 11 attempts in the first half.
It was another quarter where the Heat shot better from the field and three-point range, but Jazz made sure to emphasize going to the charity stripe as they made eight of their 10 attempts from there. Miami didn't attempt any free throws in the second quarter. Whether the Heat can stop the Jazz defensively will ultimately decide this game.
A stress-inducing second half
It was a less than ideal start for the Heat as the Jazz continued on their offensive outpouring as they built up their lead to 11. However, Butler turned it up a notch and took over the period to give Miami back the lead.
The star play-maker played to his strengths as the zero free throws from the second quarter was addressed as he accounted for five points from the charity stripe. Besides that, he had 13 points as he made six of nine attempts from the field.
Rozier would also have a standout period as he had six points, three assists, and one steal. However, the Jazz wouldn't let it get too out of hand as the game was all tied up 90 heading into the fourth.
The fourth started exceptionally well for Miami as Utah played sloppy committing a few turnovers which the Heat capitalized. It would become a dog fight throughout the rest of the game.
However, it would be the Heat's energy that outlasted the Jazz till the very end as they get the win. Miami fans can finally breathe after a stress-inducing game.
A start to protecting home floor?
Before the All-Star break, it was a mediocre performance for Miami when competing at home as they were 15-13 inside the Kaseya Center. For the team to make a full push for the playoffs, they will have to protect home floor which usually has been a strength in previous years.
Saturday was a good start getting a win over a pesky Jazz team and their next game Tuesday is also very winnable. While anything can happen, the Detroit Pistons are 9-50 and tied for the least amount of wins in the NBA with the Washington Wizards.
The Heat are still at a peak this season that they hope continues for the foreseeable future. Entering Saturday, they were seventh in the Eastern Conference, but are now tied at 34-26 with the Orlando Magic and the Philadelphia 76ers in a tightly packed conference.
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