Miami Heat

Ryan Kostecka

On the final night of a long six-game road trip, it wouldn't have been surprising if the Jazz came out somewhat lackluster against Miami. After all, that's human nature and typically what you see of teams after difficult road trips lasting that long.&nbsp;

But for those who've watched this Utah team all season, you knew that wouldn't happen. Behind a spirited effort in which the Jazz had a double-digit lead, fatigue set in over the final minutes, and Utah fell 119-115 to the Heat on Monday night.&nbsp;

Sometimes laughter is the best cure — at least in Lauri Markkanen's case.&nbsp;

After one of the worst shooting performances of his career against Charlotte two nights ago (3-for-22), Markkanen simply laughed off the bad game. He knew it was an outlier of what's been an All-NBA caliber season, and he knew he'd bounce back.&nbsp;

Markkanen got going early and often against Miami, finishing with 38 points, eight rebounds, and three steals on 14-of-26 shooting and 6-for-12 from deep. It was his 15th game this season of 30+ points. The Heat had no answer for the 7-footer as he showed off his scoring at all three levels, coming off screens to get to the rim while knocking down shots from beyond the arc.&nbsp;

"It got pretty ridiculous," he said about his off-game two nights ago. "You can't really do anything but laugh about that. I mean, they were all good looks; they felt fine. I guess it was just one of those nights. ... That kind of thing can happen."

While Markkanen had the bounce-back game, Simone Fontecchio had himself a career night, which came in the first half.&nbsp;

The sharpshooter from Italy showed why the Jazz are so high on him as he started knocking down shots from the second he got into the game. He finished with a career-high 23 points on 8-of-17 from the field — adding four rebounds in a career-high 30 minutes.&nbsp;

Most impressively, Fontecchio did a great job of getting to the rim instead of settling for deep threes off screens.&nbsp;

He looked comfortable putting the ball on the floor and dropping a little push shot in the lane, an aspect of his game that hasn't been seen often. That ability forced the Heat to defend him differently, and he made them pay by knocking down a career-high five threes.&nbsp;

Finishing out the last of a six-game road trip, the Jazz looked like a team worn out as they got blitzed early by the Heat. A Markkanen three cut the deficit to 10-7 before Miami went on a 21-12 run in the blink of an eye to lead 31-19 with just under two minutes to play in the quarter.&nbsp;

The game would've been much worse without Fontecchio, who single-handedly kept Utah in it by scoring 11 points in the first. His four-point play late in the quarter helped the Jazz find some rhythm as they ended the first on a 7-2 run.&nbsp;

Markkanen and Fontecchio continued their hot streak in South Beach when they combined to score Utah's first 18 points of the quarter as the Jazz opened the second on an 18-6 run. They each knocked down two threes, but most impressively, they stayed aggressive and had no issue putting the ball on the floor and attacking the rim.&nbsp;

The teams would then exchange buckets for most of the quarter until Miami caught fire late by turning up the pressure defensively. Forcing Utah into turnovers, the Heat got out in transition and cut into the deficit to end the half.&nbsp;

After Utah's lead stretched to eight following an Ochai Agbaji dunk, Bam Adebayo got a dunk, and Miami closed the quarter on a 7-0 run.

It was a three-point barrage in the opening minutes of the third as each team knocked down two of them in the first two minutes. An 8-3 run by Miami gave them the lead, but Markkanen answered with a three and a dunk as the Jazz retook the lead with nine left in the third.&nbsp;

Utah would later take a five-point lead, but the Heat kept battling back, tying the game at 85 with under two minutes following a 5-0 run. After the teams exchanged buckets, Rudy Gay hit a big three with 30 seconds remaining before Adebayo capped off his big quarter with a three-point play.&nbsp;

The game was tied at 90 after three.&nbsp;

The fourth quarter was full of action and drama, as no team led by more than five points as the lead was exchanged 13 times in 12 minutes.&nbsp;

After a pair of free throws to start the fourth gave Miami the momentum, Gay hit another big three for the first lead change of the quarter. Another Gay bucket a few minutes later gave the Jazz a one-point lead, but the Heat answered with a 6-0 run on threes by Kyle Lowry and Victor Oladipo.

Utah kept battling, responding with a 7-0 run as threes by Markkanen and Fontecchio gave the Jazz a two-point lead with less than five to play. Jimmy Butler would answer with a three of his own, and the Heat were back up one.&nbsp;

Following nearly three minutes of scoreless play, Talen Horton-Tucker got a clutch layup to drop as Utah took its final lead with just over a minute to play. Tyler Herro answered with a three, and the Jazz trailed by two. They had a chance to tie the game, but Adebayo blocked Agbaji's shot at the rim with six seconds left, ending the comeback attempt.&nbsp;

Agbaji finished with 14 points and four rebounds, while Horton-tucker chipped in nine points, eight assists, and six rebounds. Gay finished with eight points — all of which came in those four minutes — while Kris Dunn added nine points, eight assists, and five rebounds.&nbsp;

Utah finally gets the break it desperately needs, having four days off before returning to host the Celtics on Saturday night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. MT.

that-kind-of-thing-can-happen-fatigue-sets-in-as-jazz-come-up-just-short-in-loss-to-miami

"That Kind Of Thing Can Happen" | Fatigue Sets In As Jazz Come Up Just Short In Loss To Miami

Jeremy Rincon

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Highlights: Jazz 115 | Heat 119

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Highlights: Lauri Markkanen – 38 points, 8 rebounds, 6 3PM

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Highlights: Simone Fontecchio – 23 points, 5 rebounds, 5 3PM

Regardless of how good Lauri Markkanen has been this season — and make no mistake, he's played at an all-NBA level this year — the man isn't perfect.&nbsp;

Even for someone who's flirting with an insane 50-40-90 season, bad games happen. Nobody plays perfectly for 82 games of the year — and for Markkanen, Saturday night in Charlotte was as bad as it got. He finished the night shooting just 3-of-22 from the field and 1-for-9 from the field, by far his worst output while in Jazz uniform.&nbsp;

But when reporters entered the locker room following the victory over Charlotte, they didn't find the Finnisher sulking in front of his locker. Instead, they found him cheery and upbeat, congratulating teammate Talen Horton-Tucker on a sensational game, placing his order for his postgame meal, and just smiling and laughing all around.&nbsp;

According to him, what else was he supposed to be like? Utah got the win, and that's all that mattered.&nbsp;

"That kind of thing can happen. … It hasn't happened in a while," he said about his off night. Then, after a quick pause, he said the most important words — words he wants to make sure everyone knows are most valuable to him.

"But we got the win, and that's the most important thing."

Even for someone as special as Markkanen, even for someone amid an all-time breakout season, he understands that there will be nights when everything can go right EXCEPT for the ball going in the hoop.&nbsp;

Shots that had fallen for him for the entire season refused to go down. He ran the same plays, came off the screens, and got the same looks, but they didn't fall for some reason. That happens; he gets that, so he refused to fret over it.&nbsp;

"It got pretty ridiculous," he said. "You can't really do anything but laugh about that. I mean, they were all good looks; they felt fine. I guess it was just one of those nights."

When asked postgame about Markkanen's shooting woes, head coach Will Hardy gave a sly smile, thinking of something funny or sarcastic to say about the off shooting night. But rather than focus on the negative, he credited Markkanen for sticking with the offense and still helping make the team better.&nbsp;

Markkanen stayed aggressive and kept shooting when he got good looks, forcing Charlotte to double-team him and throw extra defenders at him. In turn, it opened up things for other players like Horton-Tucker's near triple-double, Walker Kessler's double-double, and a quiet 17-point night for Kelly Olynyk.&nbsp;

Instead of fretting over the missed shots, Markkanen was much more engaged defensively and on the glass, where he grabbed 13 rebounds — his most since Feb. 1. He also dished out three assists, his most since returning from the All-Star break.

"I thought Lauri played a good game," Hardy said. "Like, in terms of the shots he was taking, the looks he was getting, the attacking that he was doing, he just didn't convert anything."

While he has bad games this season, he's always responded positively the next time on the court — and make no mistake, the Jazz will need another great performance from him as they cap off their six-game road trip with a showdown in Miami against the Heat.&nbsp;

Miami (36-33, 22-13 home / No. 7 Eastern Conference)Offense*108.6 Points Per Game (No. 30 in NBA)*111.1 Offensive Rating (No. 26 in NBA)Defense*109.4 Points Per Game (No. 2 in NBA)*112.2Defensive Rating (No. 7 in NBA)Individual*Jimmy Butler: 22.6 points | 6.0 rebounds | 5.1 assists | 33.3% 3P-shooting*Bam Adebayo: 21.0 points | 9.4 rebounds | 3.3 assists*Tyler Herro: 20.3 points | 5.7 rebounds | 4.3 assists | 38.0% 3P-shooting

KEY MATCHUP*Lauri Markkanen vs. Jimmy Butler— Despite Saturday’s showing, Markkanen has been dominant for much of the season and looks like a legitimate All-NBA candidate. One of the players he’s battling for one of those highly coveted spots is Butler, someone who has helped carry Miami to the postseason again. Get your popcorn ready, these two head-to-head is going to be fun.&nbsp;

INJURY REPORTUtahQUESTIONABLE | Jordan Clarkson (left hand - fourth finger sprain)OUT | Micah Potter (G League - Two-Way)OUT | Collin Sexton (left hamstring strain)MiamiTBD

BROADCAST INFORMATIONTime: 5:30 p.m. MTLocation: Miami-Dade Arena |Miami, FLTV: AT&T SportsNetRadio: The Zone Sports Network

one-of-those-nights-markkanen-looks-to-bounce-back-as-utah-wraps-up-road-trip-against-miami

"One Of Those Nights" | Markkanen Looks To Bounce Back As Utah Wraps Up Road Trip Against Miami

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Highlights: Lauri Markkanen – 29 points, 14 rebounds, 12/12 FT

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Highlights: Heat 126 | Jazz 123

This Game Preview is brought to you by University of Utah Health

Sometimes, there's nothing like coming home.

After a difficult road trip in which the Jazz felt they had a legitimate chance to win all three games, Utah finally returns to the comfortable confines of Vivint Arena when they host the Miami Heat in the final game of 2022.&nbsp;

For the Jazz, they understand that they squandered three opportunities to pad their record in the crowded Western Conference. They were competitive in each game, losing by an average of 3.3 points while being in them to the very end.&nbsp;

But that's the nature of the NBA, and especially the West. If Utah would've pulled out the wins, they'd be the No. 4 seed — Instead, they sit at 19-19 and in the 10th spot.

While the wins would've been nice, the Jazz understand that they're playing for much more than just victories. They're doing everything possible to ensure that their star forward gets invited to the All-Star game in February. 

Lauri Markkanen has been sensational this season, particularly in the last three games. He's averaging 32.3 points and 11 rebounds in those games, shooting 62.9% from the floor, 36.7% from beyond the arc, and 94.7% from the free throw line. 

"He's an all-star, showing the world what he can do," point guard Mike Conley said of Markkanen. "It's unbelievable how he's getting better and better as the season goes on. We have, as a team, figured out that he's our guy and are finding ways to put him in the best spot possible. … for him, that's anywhere on the court."

"He's a matchup nightmare," Kelly Olynyk added. "He's shooting the ball unbelievably the whole season really. He's tough to guard. … You can't take away one thing."

While Markkanen is focused on Utah's win-loss record more than he is regarding his own All-Star candidacy, his teammates see it as two-fold. They understand that the better they play, the more games they win. And the more games they win, the harder it will be for The Finnisher to be left off the roster in February.&nbsp;

"Lauri's been playing his butt off this whole week scoring and stuff. … If we get those wins for him this week, it's a big week for him," Jordan Clarkson said. "As a team, we're going to look back at the tape, we're going to take a lot from these (losses) and try to string some wins together in this time before the All-Star break."

While he may have won the individual battle with Sacramento star Domantas Sabonis on Friday, Saturday's showdown with Miami and its two-headed monster of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo provide an entirely different matchup.

It stands to reason that both of them will take turns guarding Utah's leading scorer throughout the night — but what makes them so difficult to play against is that they use their physicality to their advantage.

Still, the Jazz are looking to bounce back from the tough losses, taking in the message that head coach Will Hardy has for them and applying it to Saturday night. Because, in all honesty, the only game that truly matters is the next one.&nbsp;

"The message, in general, is that there's nothing we can do about this game now. … It's about us regrouping and getting to the game tomorrow in the right headspace," Hardy said Friday night. "I think it's about maintaining our approach. … It's about maintaining our togetherness as a group and understanding that in the NBA, it's really hard to win."

KEY MATCHUP*Lauri Markkanen vs. Jimmy Butler— The two best players on each team — players who should be named All-Stars in February — will be the highlight of this one. Markkanen is having the best season of his career and has been unstoppable as of late. Meanwhile, Butler is proving that he’s still a force to be reckoned with and can literally will his team to victory. How Markkanen handles Miami’s physicality and how Butler deals with Utah’s length on the interior could be the deciding factors in this one.&nbsp;

INJURY REPORTUtahOUT | Johnny Juzang (G League - Two-Way)OUT | Micah Potter (G League - Two-Way)MiamiTBD

BROADCAST INFORMATIONTime:&nbsp;7:00 p.m. MTLocation: Vivint Arena |Salt Lake City, UTTV:&nbsp;AT&T SportsNetRadio:&nbsp;The Zone Sports Network

maintaining-our-togetherness-utah-closes-out-2022-with-a-showdown-against-miami

"Maintaining Our Togetherness" | Utah Closes Out 2022 With A Showdown Against Miami

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