Featured Image: Photo by José Luis Villegas of AP Photo.
by Alma Bean
The Utah Jazz (19-19) return home after a rough three-game road trip to end 2022 against the Miami Heat (18-18).
What to Look For
Both teams are coming into this match with .500 records (Utah = 19-19; Miami = 18-18), but with Utah return to Salt Lake City the tides may be in their favor. Utah is currently 12-5 at home and Miami is 7-10 on the road. With Utah being a foul heavy team, tenth in the league in fouls with 21.1 per game, this should put Miami at the free throw line more than usual. Miami averages 21.6 free throw attempts per game but when they get to the line the capitalize on their opportunities. The Heat are currently second in the in the league in free throw percentage at 82.5 percent. It helps that they have a top-10 free throw shooter in Tyler Herro whose percentage is at 91.7 percent.
Keys for the Game
Expect tonight to be a low scoring matchup. Miami is currently last in PPG with 108.5 but they’re in the top-five in lowest PPG allowed with 109.3 points. In Miami’s 36 games they’ve played, their point differential is just a mere -0.7 points While Utah’s point differential is +0.7 points. Utah’s last three matches have all been decided by two possessions and have resulted in an 0-3 record. Utah should also expect Miami to attack the paint frequently in this game. Utah has allowed the most points in the paint with 56.2 points per game. Miami is also in the top-five in the league in least number of points in the paint per game with 45.5 points. With Bam Adebayo attacking Utah in the paint, look for motions of bringing the ball handler into the paint then dishing out to shooters on the perimeter. Miami is bottom-five in the league in three-point percentage defense, allowing 36.7 percent from the perimeter.
Injury Report
Miami- Jimmy Butler: Out (knee), Dewayne Dedmon: Out (foot), Caleb Martin: Questionable (ankle), Victor Oladipo: Questionable (rest), Omer Yurtseven: Out (ankle)
Utah- Johnny Juzang: Out (G League), Micah Potter: Out (G League)
Where to Watch?
Tip-off between Miami and Utah will be at 7:00 p.m. MT on AT&T SportsNet.