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When Erik Spoelstra steered the Miami Heat into the NBA Finals during the league’s bubble period, it was not at all expected. But some figured it was the start of things to come, since the core of that Eastern Conference championship team was still intact.
Things haven’t worked out well thus far. But the Utah Jazz are looking like the team ready to make the quantum leap. Could they actually topple the Lakers in the West?
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That question won’t be answered on Saturday, but the Heat will at least be seeking SOME answers. And maybe spending the better part of the evening in Salt Lake City will provide some.
We hope to provide the answer as to who is going to win against the number, so you can cash in at America’s Bookie.
Miami Heat at Utah Jazz Predictions
Tip-off: 9 PM ET
NBA Betting Odds: Jazz – 6, Total 217.5
This Miami Heat team does not resemble last season’s Miami Heat team all that much, which is kind of curious in that not a lot of time has gone by.
Maybe it was their moment in the bubble, as they swept through to represent the East in the Finals and then represented themselves pretty well against the Lakers, considering their injury situation.
But for those who have been looking for that conference title to be the stepping stone toward better things, well, there’s been a roadblock.
There have been injury and COVID absences, for certain, but they aren’t the only team that’s gone through that.
They just haven’t played the same.
Take Duncan Robinson, for example. Robinson, one of those Miami players who was surpassing expectations just by being in the league, considering he was a sixth man at Michigan and undrafted, came into THIS season with expectations, after nailing 44.6% of his triples in last year’s run.
But he hasn’t come near that figure on a regular basis.
Tyler Herro’s been in and out of the lineup. Kelly Olynyk has been in and out of the rotation. Jimmy Butler’s been dealing with the virus and it has taken him a long time to get started.
Meyers Leonard has missed a lot of time, as has Avery Bradley. There are others. Should we even keep going?
Miami’s concern now isn’t with dominating the Eastern Conference; it’s with getting to the playoffs, period. Even after four consecutive wins, they have an 11-14 record, tied for second place in a weak division, a game behind the Charlotte Hornets.
Meanwhile, has there been a better team in the NBA than the Utah Jazz?
They have the league’s best record at 21-5. they are 19-6-1 against the number. They have won their last six games by at least eight points. They have the league’s best positive point differential, at over nine per game.
On Friday night they disposed of the Milwauklee Bucks, a squad that prides itself on being one of the best defensive squads in the league, by a 129-115 score. And they got at least 25 points from four different players.
And get this – Donovan Mitchell had a lousy game from the field, making just six of 20 shots. Fortunately for them, Jope Ingles is the kind of guy who can make up for that, wirh seven triples. And Jordan Clarkson had 25 points off the bench. Rudy Gobert was Rudy Gobert, with twelve rebounds and four blocks. He also had an un-Rudy-like 27 points.
This all works.
It was nice for the Heat to rack up a road win on Thursday night at suddenly defensive-minded Houston. And it was indeed their fourth victory in a row. Butler had a triple-double. Robinson hit five triples. Olynyk had 13 rebounds. Bam Adebayo filled up the stat sheet. Now Herro has been cleared to play on Saturday. Things are looking better.
But while we are talking about how the Heat may be on the verge of getting things together, Utah has already been in that place for a while now. He’ll be dogged by Butler, to be certain, but Mitchell is perfectly capable of coming back with a big shooting performance.
Yes, the Jazz played last night, while Miami rested. But the Heat also traveled. And there IS the altitude to deal with. Utah beat Miami by 13 and 14 in their two meetings last year. This number is actually reasonable. Lay it.
The Play: UTAH -6
