Heat takes 36-point loss to Jazz amid Jimmy Butler drama
01/04/2025 10:28 PM
As the fallout continues involving the Miami Heat and Jimmy Butler, the team suffered a loss to the Utah Jazz in blowout fashion, 136-100, on Saturday night. After the debacle involving the Heat giving Butler a seven-game suspension, this loss won’t help in quieting the outside noise.
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) January 5, 2025
Nikoa Jovic led the team with 17 points on seven of 14 shooting from the field as Duncan Robinson was second with 16 points off the bench. The Heat’s All-Star hopeful Tyler Herro finished with 15 points as Bam Adebayo struggled with four points on zero for six shooting from the field, the first time he hasn’t made any for the center with at least 25 minutes played.
Here are three takeaways from the Heat’s loss to the Jazz:
Disappointing first half without Jimmy Butler
While there is no finality to the situation with Miami and Butler, one could maybe ponder if last Thursday’s loss to the Indiana Pacers was the last game the star played for the team. This makes Saturday important as it potentially starts a new era of Heat basketball headed by Adebayo and Herro who started along with Jovic, Highsmith, and Terry Rozier.
However, it was not an optimistic start in Saturday night’s game as it was a mess of a first half for the Heat as they trailed by 21 to the 7-25 Jazz. On the offensive side of the ball, it was a mix of just plainly missing wide-open shots, but it was the forced shots in bad spots that hurt them in the first half.
They would finish the first two periods shooting 33.3 percent from the field and only made three of their 22 attempts from beyond the arc as Jovic led the team with 12 points. Herro had 11 on three of nine from the field while it was a struggle for Adebayo who missed all four of his attempts from the field, only having two points on free throws with six rebounds.
It seems to be an adjustment without Butler who is in the process of trade talks and serving a seven-game suspension due to “conduct detrimental to the team.” Still, they need some energy going into the second half.
Heat going down by as much as 43 points to the struggling Jazz
If you thought the first half was filled with frustrating basketball, the second topped it as Miami would be down by as much as a whopping 43 points. The Heat missed Butler in this game as they were without a main offensive engine that they could work off of, but it seemed known that it would be an adjustment without the team’s leading man.
Still, not sure anyone could have predicted the team to be almost down 40 points as they were getting outclassed in every facet. In the third quarter, Miami shot 37.5 percent from the field and did hit five of their 11 attempts from deep. On the other side, it would be Utah who shot 50 percent from the field and seven of 15 from deep as they continued to dominate the glass.
Another surprising aspect was the offensive production of Miami’s top two players of Adebayo and Herro without Butler. Starting with the former, since the Heat’s captain would be taken out of the game due to how lopsided the contest was, he finished not making a single shot from the field at zero for six.
Herro could not find a groove in the game finishing with 15 points, shooting four of 12 from the field and only making a single three-pointer out of eight attempts. Though Erik Spoelstra went 11-deep into the roster, using players such as Keshad Johnson (who got first-quarter minutes), Pelle Larsson, and Josh Christopher, it was to find some spark which they couldn’t achieve.
At the end of the day, it would be a dreadful night for the Heat as besides the Butler trade talks, had to take a blowout loss to the Jazz right to the chin.
Heat now embark on six-game road trip with questions on Jimmy Butler
An ideal situation could have been the Heat beating the Jazz to end the home stand to quiet the noise somewhat on the situation happening with Butler and management. However, there is no doubt that the noise will be louder with the blowout loss to the Jazz as Miami now heads on a long road trip where they won’t come back until Jan. 17 against the Denver Nuggets.
A lot can happen during this road trip which could involve a potential trade that ends the marriage between the Heat and Butler, but the team is focused on bettering themselves without a crucial piece to the puzzle. Though Saturday was a gut punch to the umpteenth degree, Spoelstra and company will take it as a reality check and an avenue to come out better than they were before.
It remains to be seen what the finality looks like between the Heat and Butler, but they also have a season to turn around as they are now 17-16 with their next contest on Jan. 6 against the Sacramento Kings.
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