Heat 93, Jazz 89
That was a brutal game tonight, best summed up afterward by Deron Williams, who took the blame for stinking it up on the court. C.J. Miles described the Jazz as having too many "hectic" possessions, which I thought was also interesting.
It hasn't been easy for Williams returning from a sprained ankle, especially now that he also has a strained hip flexor, but the last week would have been even worse for the Jazz without him.
With Carlos Boozer and Andrei Kirilenko both out and Williams playing at 60 percent or so, the Jazz could have used a big game out of Mehmet Okur against the Heat. But Okur struggled in the second game of the back-to-back set.
He finished with six points and seven rebounds in 31 minutes, but shot 2-for-9 and was benched in favor of Kosta Koufos in the third quarter. The Heat also snatched 14 offensive rebounds (eight by Udonis Haslem) at the expense of Okur and others.
Okur did come back in the fourth quarter, but he was called for two bumping fouls on Mario Chalmers as he helped on the pick-and-roll. Both fouls came after the Jazz had closed within seven points and both came in the penalty.
Chalmers converted all four free throws as Miami stayed in front. With Williams hitting a three-pointer and finding Paul Millsap for a dunk, the Jazz got within four in the final minute. They could have rushed for another late three-pointer, but couldn't get off a shot quickly.
* * *
There were two stretches that I thought cost the Jazz the game. The first was in the first quarter, with the Jazz poised to build on their 10-point lead as Dwyane Wade went to the bench with 5:37 left after picking up his second foul.
But the Heat got a lift from Michael Beasley, Daequan Cook and Chris Quinn off the bench and had the score tied 31-31 by the time Wade returned in the second quarter. The Jazz should have put away MIami right there in the first half.
The Heat's 16-2 run to open the third quarter was also devastating. When the Jazz weren't getting blocked inside by Joel Anthony, Okur, Miles and Ronnie Brewer were settling for jumpers. The Jazz missed their first seven shots of the quarter.
Jazz coach Jerry Sloan benched Okur after he pushed Wade on a reverse layup, putting him at the line for a three-point play. Miles followed soon after as Wade hit two jumpers over him and he missed a 21-footer at the other end.
* * *
Carlos Boozer was approached in the locker room before the game by a Miami reporter and gave him the brush-off when it came to a question about the Heat. I guess Jazz fans have to take that as a good sign.
''I don't worry about that,'' Boozer said. ''That's just speculation. I think everything this summer will work out this summer, depending on what happens. During the season, we're just going to focus on the season. I live there, so that's why rumors start to flow.''
* * *
Paul Millsap had 20 points and 13 rebounds in a career-high 44 minutes. Millsap had never played more than 38 minutes in an NBA game before. Sloan singled out Millsap after the game as the Jazz's only bright spot.
No idea what happened to Kyrylo Fesenko, who supposedly strained his back in warm-ups and did not dress. That left the Jazz with only 10 healthy players Wednesday and only three big men in Millsap, Okur and Koufos.
In case you were wondering, the Jazz last dropped consecutive home games back in April 2007, to Denver and Phoenix. They're also now 2-7 against Eastern Conference teams this season.
--Ross Siler
It hasn't been easy for Williams returning from a sprained ankle, especially now that he also has a strained hip flexor, but the last week would have been even worse for the Jazz without him.
With Carlos Boozer and Andrei Kirilenko both out and Williams playing at 60 percent or so, the Jazz could have used a big game out of Mehmet Okur against the Heat. But Okur struggled in the second game of the back-to-back set.
He finished with six points and seven rebounds in 31 minutes, but shot 2-for-9 and was benched in favor of Kosta Koufos in the third quarter. The Heat also snatched 14 offensive rebounds (eight by Udonis Haslem) at the expense of Okur and others.
Okur did come back in the fourth quarter, but he was called for two bumping fouls on Mario Chalmers as he helped on the pick-and-roll. Both fouls came after the Jazz had closed within seven points and both came in the penalty.
Chalmers converted all four free throws as Miami stayed in front. With Williams hitting a three-pointer and finding Paul Millsap for a dunk, the Jazz got within four in the final minute. They could have rushed for another late three-pointer, but couldn't get off a shot quickly.
* * *
There were two stretches that I thought cost the Jazz the game. The first was in the first quarter, with the Jazz poised to build on their 10-point lead as Dwyane Wade went to the bench with 5:37 left after picking up his second foul.
But the Heat got a lift from Michael Beasley, Daequan Cook and Chris Quinn off the bench and had the score tied 31-31 by the time Wade returned in the second quarter. The Jazz should have put away MIami right there in the first half.
The Heat's 16-2 run to open the third quarter was also devastating. When the Jazz weren't getting blocked inside by Joel Anthony, Okur, Miles and Ronnie Brewer were settling for jumpers. The Jazz missed their first seven shots of the quarter.
Jazz coach Jerry Sloan benched Okur after he pushed Wade on a reverse layup, putting him at the line for a three-point play. Miles followed soon after as Wade hit two jumpers over him and he missed a 21-footer at the other end.
* * *
Carlos Boozer was approached in the locker room before the game by a Miami reporter and gave him the brush-off when it came to a question about the Heat. I guess Jazz fans have to take that as a good sign.
''I don't worry about that,'' Boozer said. ''That's just speculation. I think everything this summer will work out this summer, depending on what happens. During the season, we're just going to focus on the season. I live there, so that's why rumors start to flow.''
* * *
Paul Millsap had 20 points and 13 rebounds in a career-high 44 minutes. Millsap had never played more than 38 minutes in an NBA game before. Sloan singled out Millsap after the game as the Jazz's only bright spot.
No idea what happened to Kyrylo Fesenko, who supposedly strained his back in warm-ups and did not dress. That left the Jazz with only 10 healthy players Wednesday and only three big men in Millsap, Okur and Koufos.
In case you were wondering, the Jazz last dropped consecutive home games back in April 2007, to Denver and Phoenix. They're also now 2-7 against Eastern Conference teams this season.
--Ross Siler
12:53 AM
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