Utah Jazz vs Miami Heat Prediction: Two exhausted teams coming in here after close losses

The NBA Regular Season has been on for around a couple of months now and we are heading toward the midseason window where we can see a bunch of trades take place. This is a crucial phase as the window to improve the record will close in at a dramatic pace. In this game, the Utah Jazz will take on the Miami Heat.

The Jazz comes into this game after losing to the Kings 125:126 despite a 36 points night by Lauri Markkanen. The Jazz has now lost three in a row and has now been reduced to 19 losses and 19 wins. All these losses have been away from home and the team defense has been awful. Jazz has allowed the opposition to score 120+ repeatedly and this has been their biggest issue throughout the season. The lack of size has continued to hurt the small-ball schemes of this Jazz team.

On the bright side, the team had acquired an amazing scorer Lauri Markkanen who can score 20+ points consistently. The team has some impressive guards, Jordan Clarkson, Mike Conley, Collin Sexton, and Malik Beasley. These guards provide the team both driving and shooting options which have enabled the team to score 110+ consistently. The team lacks an experienced Center so Jarred Vanderbilt as a small-ball Forward has been nabbing boards. Overall, the Jazz’s campaign has derailed after 10 wins and three losses start.

The Heat enters the affair after losing 119:123 to the Denver Nuggets despite a 26 points performance by Tyler Herro. The Heat had a five-point lead entering the fourth quarter but some defensive mishaps denied them a win. The Heat has now lost 18 and won 18, which is not a great return for a team that made it to the East Finals last season. One of the major reasons for their downturn has been the lack of offensive consistency and the team is off from the long range.

The Heat has won seven and lost ten away from home, which is not a poor record but nothing incredible either. Miami came into the season with huge expectations but are falling short despite having three 20+ points scorers in Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, and Tyler Herro. Defensively, the team has been above-average but the lack the sting of the last season. It will be interesting to see if the Heat has a deep run in them considering their experience.

• Jazz: No injuries to report at the time of writing;
• Heat: OUT: Omer Yurtseven, Dewayne Dedmon. Game-Time Decisions: Victor Oladipo, Caleb Martin.

• Expected Leading Scores: Lauri Markkanen(26-31 Points), Tyler Herro(24-29 Points), Jimmy Butler(20-24 Points);
• Expected Leading Rebounders: Bam Adebayo(9-12 Rebounds), Lauri Markkanen(8-11 Rebounds);
• Expected Leading Playmakers: Mike Conley(8-10 Assists), Jimmy Butler(5-7 Assists).

The Jazz has been in a great offensive rhythm but their defensive frailties are getting upon them. The Heat has been doing well away from home lately but they still aren’t the squad that was beating teams left and right last season. This is going to be the second game in the second night for both squads which means that there can be a decent amount of fatigue. That is why this becomes more difficult to predict. However, I see the Heat winning this game with a scoreline of 120:110.