The Miami Heat rebounded from Thursday’s 17 point loss to the Boston Celtics by defeating the Utah Jazz 118-115. The recent victory puts Miami just half a game behind the Philadelphia 76ers for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
Miami’s near-decade long pursuit of veteran ball-handler Kyle Lowry is already paying dividends. The six-time All-Star collected his first triple-double as a member of the Miami Heat. Lowry scored 20 points, missing just three shots. The 35-year-old also had 12 rebounds and 10 assists. It was Lowry’s 19th career triple-double.
Tyler Herro has maintained his impressive start to the 2021-2022 campaign. The third-year sharpshooter totaled 29 points to finish as Miami’s leading scorer. Herro has developed a sense of comfort as a ball handler. The Kentucky product is not afraid to combine his ball-handling with his finishing ability to rapidly push the ball down the floor for an easy two points. Herro previously aimed for his dribbling to simply create an open jump-shot for himself.
Team leaders Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo totaled 36 minutes apiece. Butler finished with 27 points, while Adebayo added 17. Both veterans performed at an efficient rate, making over 50% of their attempted shots.
As Utah began to chip away at Miami’s 19-point fourth quarter lead, Caleb Martin helped solidify a Miami victory. The third-year guard played valuable minutes down the stretch, assisting on some key defensive stops. The former Charlotte Hornet added nine points and four rebounds off the bench.
For Utah, All-Star Donovan Mitchell had a game-high 37 points to go along with seven assists. All-Star Rudy Gobert didn’t play well, however, scoring only eight points in 29 minutes.
Up Next
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70106594/AP21311026974225.0.jpg?w=1110&ssl=1)
The Miami Heat will take on the Denver Nuggets on Monday, November 7. The Nuggets are months away from the return of star point guard Jamal Murray, and must rely on the dominance of reigning MVP Nikola Jokic. The game against Denver will start a stretch where Miami plays nine of its next 11, and 22 of its next 33 games on the road.