SALT LAKE CITY _ This pre-All Star break portion of the Heat season _ which was, by all realistic expectations, a smashing success _ could have ended with a flourish on Wednesday, with Miami taking a five-point halftime lead against a Jazz team that entered 19-5 at home.
But in a battle of teams that both entered as fourth seeds and with identical 35-18 records, the Heat ultimately succumbed, 116-101, undone by Donovan Mitchell's excellence, inadequate rebounding, some untimely turnovers, a few killer Jazz threes and a difficult shooting night for two Heat starters.
The Heat went small with Derrick Jones Jr. at power forward and Jones managed just two rebounds in 23 minutes. Aside from Bam Adebayo's 11 boards, nobody else on the Heat had more than Butler's seven rebounds.
With Rudy Gobert collecting 18 rebounds and Bogan Bogdanovic seven, .the Jazz pounded the Heat on the boards 53-36.
Jimmy Butler played well (25 points, 7 rebounds), and Bam Adebayo _ despite a tough matchup with Gobert _ filled the box score with nine points, 11 rebounds, five assists, four steals and two blocks.
Duncan Robinson concluded a breakout first half of the season with six threes and 18 points, but Kendrick Nunn had a fifth consecutive poor shooting game, closing 5 for 16 on a 12-point night. Nunn went 22 for 83 on the road trip.
And so Miami goes to the break in fourth in the East at 35-19 after losing four of five on this road trip, with the Heat without Butler for two of those four losses and without injured Tyler Herro and Meyers Leonard for all five games of the trip.
