Miami Heat 93, Utah Jazz 89 (Beyond the Box Score)

SALT LAKE CITY —  The Miami Heat closed its five-game road trip with a 93-89 victory against the Utah Jazz Wednesday. The Heat was coming off a 130-129 overtime thriller in Golden State and in the first half against the Jazz the team was in foul trouble and appeared a bit sluggish.

            The Heat used a third quarter run to pull away. Then the Jazz made a run and pulled to within four points with 37.3 seconds left. They would get no closer.

Player of the Game: This was another game where it’s hard to single out one player.

Dwyane Wade had another good game, scoring a game-high 23 points on 8 of 17 shooting, and adding five assists, five rebounds, and four steals. He had been fighting a migraine since Tuesday, yet it seems like nothing can slow him. He missed a dunk on his first field goal attempt Wednesday and said afterward that he felt sick and sluggish. But he found a way to rise to the occasion. And he did it despite foul trouble. He picked up his fifth foul with 5:44 left and briefly sat on the bench before returning. Shawn Marion also had a solid game with 15 points and eight rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot. He looked especially good on the fastbreak. Udonis Haslem also had a solid defensive performance with 13 rebounds, and tied his career high with eight offensive rebounds. He blocked Paul Millsap’s layup with 2:16 left with the Heat leading by nine points—a play Spoelstra believed help the Heat hold off the Jazz.

Surprise, surprise: Perhaps it shouldn’t qualify as a shock, but second-year center Joel Anthony had four blocked shots in a 3:16 stretch during the Heat’s third-quarter run. The Heat ended up scoring following three of his blocks. His strength is shotblocking but what he did was impressive in such a short stretch. His Heat teammates were standing up cheering for Anthony. He still is raw offensively but there’s something to be said for his defensive post presence

Tough Night: Daequan Cook scored 10 first half points, but was scoreless in 14 minutes in the second half. He had his moments and yes he’s only 21, but he is streaky. He started the game 2 of 3, but went 1 of 9 the rest of the way. Hate to keep harping on Michael Beasley’s foul trouble but it’s a trend. He picked up two fouls within a 2:33 stretch in the first quarter and got called for his third foul midway through the second quarter. He did manage to avoid foul trouble in the second half but you can’t help but wonder what the 19-year-old could do in a game if avoided early foul trouble. He finished with 12 points on 6 of 9 shooting.

Light em’ Up: Utah’s Paul Millsap had a team-high 20 points on 7 of 13 shooting, and had 13 rebounds and three steals. His layup with 37.3 seconds left cut the Heat’s lead to 93-89, the final score. 

Stat of the Night: There were several. The Heat held the Jazz to 39.7 percent shooting, outrebounded Utah 45-38 and held the advantage on fastbreak points 21 to 8.

That Says It All: “It was just a real gritty win.”-Heat coach Erik Spoelstra

Next Up: Heat vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, Saturday, 7:30 p.m., AmericanAirlines Arena

Comments

[Mina_Flash]

Nicce..now its time to rack up some wins with the schedule being really good now. with OKC, CHA,ATL, MEM, and MIL coming back, this could be a winstreak coming. 15-9 riding a 7 game winstreak? i think it could definitely happen.

[HeatFan]

ATL is not going to be an easy opponent. They are considered one of the top teams in the east with boston and detroit.