MIAMI _ Erik Spoelstra tried everything. And anything. All it added up to was the Miami Heat's fourth loss in five games this season at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Yes, the Heat were without sidelined point guard Goran Dragic on Saturday night. But they also were facing a team playing their fifth road game in seven nights.
No matter, not with the Heat still searching for any type of identity and cohesion in this post-Dwyane Wade, post-Chris Bosh existence. This time it added up to a 102-91 loss to the Utah Jazz that dropped them to 2-6 in a young season already growing old.
With Dragic out, Spoelstra rolled out his first new lineup of the season, with Josh Richardson opening at point guard.
By the latter stages of the first quarter, Josh McRoberts was brought out of the deep freeze, making his first appearance of the season.
By the second period, the possibilities of Derrick Williams were explored in meaningful minutes for the first time this season.
By the start of the second half, Luke Babbitt was out of the starting lineup, with Williams opening the third period at power forward.
Within the opening minutes of that third period both Hassan Whiteside and Dion Waiters were yanked.
And by the middle of the third period, the Heat were featuring a front line of McRoberts, Williams and James Johnson.
It all added up to a 76-59 deficit entering the fourth quarter after a 12-point third period.
Even in the absence of Dragic, who sat out with the ankle sprain sustained in the third quarter of Thursday's home loss to the Chicago Bulls, this should have set up far better for the Heat, who had been idle on Friday, with the Jazz completing a back-to-back set that opened with Friday's road victory over the Orlando Magic.
Instead, only now do the true tests begin for the Heat, with their first back-to-back set of the season to open Monday against the San Antonio Spurs and then conclude Tuesday against the visiting Atlanta Hawks.
About the best positive that could be taken out of this one was the opportunity to scout Jazz forward Gordon Hayward, who will be a free agent this offseason. In front of Pat Riley and the Heat front office, Hayward powered the Jazz with 25 points and nine rebounds.
Still, this was a Jazz team already without sidelined George Hill and Boris Diaw, a Jazz team that also lost starting power forward Derrick Favors by the midpoint of the first quarter with knee pain.
No, matter, not with the Heat still attempting to find themselves amid an overhaul that included Saturday's return visit by swingman Joe Johnson, who joined Wade and Luol Deng among those to depart the Heat in free agency during the offseason. Johnson closed with 10 points and six rebounds in his return.
For the Heat there was precious little of substance, save, perhaps, for Whiteside's double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds.
The Heat went into the second quarter down 23-21, after shooting 1 of 6 on 3-pointers and 2 of 7 from the line in the first period. They trailed 52-47 at halftime.
Spoelstra went in saying he was seeing progress even without a full roster.
"Defensively, we're a little bit further along, which sometimes that's a tougher foundation to build," he said. "But our guys have really committed to the efforts, to the preparation, to the practice, to the details and the competitiveness of that side of the floor.
"Going into training camp, we said, 'Hey, if we build a really rock-solid, tough-minded defense, we'll give ourselves a chance to win, regardless of who we're playing or where we're playing.' That, for the most part, has been true so far."
The offense, Spoelstra acknowledged going in, has been a bit more of a slow-go.
"Our offense, that's a little bit behind, but we've seen some progress," he said. "You see progress. Our guys feel that.
"There's a lot of detail work that just needs to get better with the half court. I still would prefer a little bit of a faster pace, or not only playing in the halfcourt."
