Two weeks ago the Miami Heat were stumbling to a 16-point road loss to the Utah Jazz at the start of a three-game losing streak.
Friday night at AmericanAirlines Arena the Heat were going toe to toe with the league-best Jazz, in a 124-116 victory that extended their winning streak to five and made it nine victories in their last 12 games. Moving into high-octane mode on offense, an effort that included a 39-point third quarter, the Heat got the best of their best to improve to 16-17 and drop the Jazz to 26-7.
Jimmy Butler led the way with a season-high 33 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, with Bam Adebayo filling the box score to the tune of 19 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.
There also were 26 points from Goran Dragic, 15 from Duncan Robinson and 12 from Kendrick Nunn, helping offset 30 from Utah’s Donovan Mitchell and 15 points and 12 rebounds from Jazz center Rudy Gobert.
It was, in the end, of the validation of the Heat’s two-week growth chart, proving up to such a moment even amid continued quality play by the Jazz.
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Five Degrees of Heat from Friday’s game:
1. Closing time: The Heat took a 96-94 lead into the fourth quarter, after going up nine at one point in the third and then moved to a 116-108 lead with 4:05 left on a Butler jumper.
But the Jazz fought back within 116-115 to play on a pair of Gobert free throws with 2:30 left.
A pair of Butler free throws followed with 2:17 to play to make it 118-115, but Mitchell worked his way to the line with 1:28, making one of two free throws to draw Utah within 118-116.
Turnovers by both teams ensued, before Butler rimmed around and in a 7-foot floater for a 120-116 Heat lead with 33 seconds to go.
Then, with 25.7 left. Bojan Bogdanovic was off with a 3-pointer, with Butler securing his 10th rebound.
Amid “MVP!” chants from the pandemic-limited crowd, Butler then made a free throw with 15.2 seconds to play to all but put it away.
2. Another loaded line: Butler was up to 14 points, six rebounds and five assists by the intermission.
He frequently hunted defensive mismatches against Bogdanovic, who was forced to the bench with his fourth foul early in the third quarter.
Butler’s fourth free throw Friday night pushed him past Jamal Mashburn for 22nd on the Heat’s all-time list.
3. Playing through: Adebayo was in the starting lineup after previously being listed as questionable due to left-knee tendinosis.
The only two games missed by Adebayo this season remain a pair of road losses to the Philadelphia 76ers, while in the NBA’s pandemic protocols, due to contact tracing.
The start was the 150th of Adebayo’s career, with his second offensive rebound moving him past Keith Askins for 13th place on the Heat’s all-time list.
4. Dragic delivers: Dragic sparked the Heat second unit in his second game back after missing nine due to an ankle sprain.
His offense compensated for the absence of Tyler Herro, who missed his third consecutive game with a hip contusion.
It was Dragic’s 22nd 20-point game as a Heat reserve, tying Kevin Edwards for the franchise all-time lead.
Also, Dragic’s second defensive rebound moved him past Justise Winslow for 17th on the Heat’s all-time list.
5. Altered rotation: KZ Okpala got spot duty twice in the first half and then in the third, at stages when first-round pick Precious Achiuwa otherwise had seen action.
Achiuwa had appeared in every game prior to Friday.
It meant that all three of the Heat’s prime offseason additions did not play, with Moe Harkless again held out and Avery Bradley still sidelined by a calf strain.
