The Utah Jazz and the Miami Heat are set to square off in what should be a colossal showdown between two of the hottest teams in the NBA through the first couple of weeks of the 2021-22 NBA season. This Jazz-Heat Saturday Special should attract a lot of NBA viewers. Many people are probably wondering whether Utah can continue its hot streak. This is why we're offering some Jazz predictions prior to Saturday's 7:30 PM ET tip-off.
The 7-1 Jazz, along with the Golden State Warriors, hold the top spot in the Western Conference through the young season so far. This is a spot they were all too familiar with last season after they finished the 2020-21 regular season with the best record in the NBA. Miami, meanwhile, looks inspired to have a bounce-back campaign and has been annihilating teams with their suffocating defense.
Both teams, however, are coming off opposite outcomes on Thursday. The Jazz are coming in a little hotter on Saturday after they dismantled Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks. Meanwhile, the Heat saw their dominant five-game winning streak come to a screeching halt at the hands of Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics.
Should the Jazz move to 8-1 and hold the solo no. 1 seed, it will be hard to deny Utah's standing as one of the legitimate elite teams in the Western Conference.
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4 bold Utah Jazz predictions versus Heat
1. The Jazz will win in a close contest
Jazz star Donovan Mitchell sat out Thursday's win due to a sprained ankle. Still, Mitchell's absence did not hinder Utah from putting a beatdown against one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, Miami will also likely miss starting point guard Kyle Lowry, who also tweaked his left ankle against the Celtics. Both Mitchell and Lowry are questionable for Saturday's affair.
If one of them is able to play, that does give their respective team some kind of edge. Nonetheless, with their remaining personnel, this should be a neck-and-neck contest between two evenly matched powerhouse teams. In the end, with the Jazz rolling like they are, they should come out victorious in a close contest and move on to 8-1 on the season.
2. This will be a grind-out game
As mentioned, these two teams are very evenly matched, especially through the early goings of the season. Miami will undoubtedly want to bounce back from their worst performance of the year and will want to do so by getting a statement win over the best team in the NBA. Meanwhile, the Jazz, who are tied with Golden State with identical 7-1 slates, should be motivated to keep their standing as the best team in the NBA.
Aside from Miami's 78-point stinker in Boston, both the Jazz and the Heat have been humming on the offensive end. Utah boasts the second-best offensive rating in the league, per NBA.com, while Miami is still a top-5 offense.
Still, Miami and Utah are defensive juggernauts to the core and pride themselves in locking down their opponents. That's why this should be a grind-out contest between two of the top defensive teams in the NBA.
3. Rudy Gobert will grab at least 20 rebounds
Jazz center Rudy Gobert has been an absolute menace on the glass, grabbing 17.3 rebounds a night through the first eight games of the young season. The Frenchman started out the season with two straight games with at least 20 boards. He had another one last Tuesday in their win over the Sacramento Kings.
Miami is a little undersized up front, with starting center Bam Adebayo at just 6-foot-9. Despite Adebayo's physicality, he still stands four inches less than the Stifle Tower. With Gobert's clear advantage in height, it would not be shocking to see if he nabs his fourth 20-plus rebound night against the Heat.
4. Jordan Clarkson will lead the Jazz in scoring again
Reigning Sixth Man of the Year winner Jordan Clarkson finally broke out from a slump to start the season with a masterful 30-point performance in their win over Atlanta. After going a putrid 0-of-16 from beyond the arc in his previous two outings, Clarkson nailed four 3-pointers and went 10-of-19 from the field on Thursday.
With the Filipino-American guard feeling much better about himself right now, he could go on another scoring binge. All that a professional scorer like Clarkson needs is a little bit of confidence to get himself going. And if Mitchell sits this one out, there is a good chance that Clarkson leads Utah in scoring for the second consecutive outing.
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