by Alma Bean
Feature Image: Photo by Spenser Heaps of Deseret News.
The Utah Jazz (33-35) look to wrap up their six-game road trip with a win against the Miami Heat (36-33) in their final meeting of the season.
What to Look For
The last time these two met was right before the turn of the new year as Tyler Herro was able to make a highly contested three at the buzzer for the win. Since then, Miami has a record of 17-15 and Utah’s record has been 14-15. Just like their previous matchup, the focus of this game with be on Bam Adebayo and Lauri Markkanen. They were their team’s leading scorers as Adebayo had 32 points and Markkanen had 29 points. The biggest adjustment that we will see this game is at the guard position for Utah. With the recent emergence of Talen Horton-Tucker, who was two rebounds shy of breaking Utah’s 15-year triple-double curse (37/8/10), Miami will need Kyle Lowry to be ready for physicality.
Key of the Game
Look for the best option, not the first option. With Utah being a turnover-heavy team, third worst in the league with 15.1 TOs per game, they will need to be methodical with their passing lanes. Jimmy Butler is second in the league with 1.9 steals per game this season, while Miami forces 15.3 TOs per game. Expect a lot of turnovers from Utah in the first half and make the adjustment as they make their way to the finish line.
Injury Report
Miami- Cody Zeller: Out (nose)
Utah- Jordan Clarkson: Out (hand), Micah Potter: Out (G League), Collin Sexton: Out (hamstring)
Where to Watch
Tip-off between Miami and Utah will be at 5:30 p.m. MT on AT&T SportsNet.