Jazz Comeback Falls Short Against Heat

SALT LAKE CITY – A frantic comeback for the Utah Jazz fell short after a Donovan Mitchell three rimmed out in the final seconds as the team fell to the Miami Heat 118-115.

The Jazz trimmed a 19 point deficit to as little as one in the final minute of the but couldn’t get over the hump, and suffered their second loss of the season.

Mitchell finished with 37 points on 14-28 shooting while the Heat got a 20 point, 12 rebound, 10 assist triple-double from Kyle Lowry.

First Quarter:

Mitchell returned to the lineup and looked comfortable on his hobbled ankle early. The All-Star guard got off to a hot start with five points early to give the Jazz a 7-2 lead and finished the quarter with 10 points on 4-7 shooting.

Outside of the Mitchell, the Jazz rotation struggled shooting the ball connecting on just 5-14 shots from the floor and missing all six of their three-point attempts.

Spida back 🕷🏀#TakeNote #UTAvsMIA https://t.co/RPDmv7fZhC

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) November 7, 2021

Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley’s rotation was outscored by five points during their eight first quarter minutes and the Jazz trailed 27-24 after one.

Second Quarter

The Heat have one of the most balanced attacks in the NBA and showed that off during the first half.

Four Miami players scored in double-figures by halftime led by Kyle Lowry who had 12 points. Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, and Tyler Herro also chipped in 10 points apiece.

Outside of Hassan Whiteside who knocked down both of his field-goal attempts in the first half, the Jazz second unit struggled to score the ball. Joe Ingles, Jordan Clarkson, and Eric Paschall combined to shoot just 1-10 from the floor including 0-8 from the three-point.

B🏀gey Ball 🔥@44Bojan shot 3-3 on field goals for eight points during the second quarter.#TakeNote #UTAvsMIA https://t.co/dvQZswsa5O

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) November 7, 2021

The Jazz as a whole shot just 6-22 from three overall.

Both Mitchell and Bogdanovic finished the opening 24 minutes in double-figures with the All-Star guard adding a game-high 15 points and four assists while Bogdanovic knocked down 4-7 shots for 12 points.

At the half, the Heat led the Jazz 55-52.

Third Quarter

As has been the case for much of the season, the Jazz are thriving in Mitchell’s minutes on the floor but struggling when Gobert and Conley are on the court. This is a dramatic change from last season when Gobert and Conley led the NBA in plus-minus, as Mitchell was responsible for keeping the team in games when they were off the court.

🪣 Buckets O’Neale 🪣#TakeNote #UTAvsMIAhttps://t.co/e3WaiR6VOW

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) November 7, 2021

The Jazz pulled into a 74-74 tie late in the third quarter, but with Mitchell off the floor, the Heat ended the third quarter on a 13-4 run.

After three, the Jazz trailed the Heat 87-78.

Fourth Quarter

The Heat opened the fourth quarter on a tear, extending their lead to 19 before a furious Jazz run late allowed the Jazz to trim Miami’s lead to just one with 12 seconds left in the game.

Quin Snyder opted to go with Hassan Whiteside on the floor down the stretch rather than Gobert and the former Heat center rewarded him with a strong fourth quarter.

S 🕷
P 🌪
I 🏀
D 💦
A 🪣#TakeNote #UTAvsMIA https://t.co/ljN1mLwlrQ

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) November 7, 2021

Whiteside finished the game with a solid six points and eight rebounds in 19 minutes on the floor, but more importantly, the Jazz were +17 with him on the floor.

Mitchell had a chance to tie the game at 118 on a final heave with just under 10 seconds remaining but the shot missed and the Heat dribbled out the clock.

The Jazz now head to Orlando for the second game in as many nights to complete their three-game road trip.

Follow @benshoops