Heat Get Revenge, Beat Jazz In Utah
Jan 9, 2025, 10:34 PM
SALT LAKE CITY – The Miami Heat avoided a season series sweep at the hands of the Utah Jazz, winning in Salt Lake City 97-92.
The Heat held the Jazz to their third-lowest scoring output of the season less than a week after allowing Utah to score 136 points in Miami.
Lauri Markkanen and Tyler Herro each had 23 points to lead their teams.
Game Blog: Fourth Quarter Dooms Jazz Against Heat
Collier Is Finding Rhythm As A Playmaker
Jazz rookie Isaiah Collier has shown strong signs as a playmaker in each of his last two outings, recording nine assists in back-to-back losses to the Hawks and Heat.
Collier is the Jazz’s best passer and has been since the moment the team selected him with the 29th pick of the 2024 NBA Draft, but coming out of college, the guard needed to improve his shooting percentages and limit his propensity to turn the ball over.
The rookie’s shooting still has a way to go, but there should be optimism about his shrinking turnover numbers.
yeah, we’re known for the fresh 𝙋𝙊𝙒der in our mountains 🏔️🌨️#TakeNote | @MarkkanenLauri pic.twitter.com/1xjeqnXeSe
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 10, 2025
Though Collier’s 10 turnovers in the last three games leave room for improvement, it’s a healthy number compared to his 24 assists.
“I love being a point guard,” Collier said. “I like getting people involved. I think that gets the team going, so I mean I feel like I’ve been doing that my whole life.”
Related: Isaiah Collier Ties Career-High In Assists Against Heat
In his first 25 games of the season, Collier had an assist-t0-turnover ratio of 1.5:1.0, not nearly good enough for a guard whose primary role is finding his teammates for easy baskets.
That ratio has improved to 2.4:1.0 over the last three games, and he’s done it as the injury-ridden Jazz’s primary ballhandler.
In the long run, Collier’s development as a shooter will determine his overall ceiling, but in the meantime, his growth as a playmaker is promising.
The rookie recorded eight points, nine assists, three rebounds, and three turnovers against the Heat in a team-high 34 minutes on the court.
Heat Show Jazz Aren’t Easy To Blowout
Though a 9-27 record may not be much to write home about, the Jazz have shown significant improvement in their last 11 games.
The team is 4-7 since December 19 and hasn’t been on the wrong end of a blowout loss since December 16 against the Los Angeles Clippers.
In their last seven losses, the Jazz have been outscored by an average of 7.3 points, a reasonably narrow margin in today’s NBA.
The Jazz are 4-7 in their last 11 games but have a positive 1.1 net rating.
In short, they’re threading the needle of developing players, playing meaningful minutes, and not hurting their lottery odds. pic.twitter.com/HVm4Oh84x4
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) January 10, 2025
In their first 20 losses of the season, the Jazz were getting outscored by 16.6 points per game.
Despite the 4-7 record, the Jazz have a positive net rating over the last 11 games, outscoring teams by an average of 1.1 per 100 possessions.
“The margins are thin, you can lose by one and you feel awful,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “But it doesn’t mean that it was an awful game all the way through. That’s what the win-loss column does to your brain.”
Though net rating can be skewed by a few lopsided victories, like the Jazz’s 36-point win over the Heat on Saturday, it’s a positive sign that the team is playing meaningful minutes well into the fourth quarter, even if they’re losing more often than their winning.
Utah Jazz Next Broadcast
The Jazz will travel to face the Phoenix Suns on Saturday at 5 p.m. MST. The game will be televised on KJZZ, streamed on Jazz+, and heard on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone.
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Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops, on Instagram @BensHoops, or on BlueSky.
