Miami Nov 7 (US): Tyler Hero scored 29 points, Kyle Lowry scored a triple-double, and the Miami Heat beat the Utah Jazz 118-115 on Saturday night.
Miami had a 19-point lead with 5 minutes left, but the win wasn’t confirmed until Donovan Mitchell missed a three-pointer in the final seconds, the AP reports.
“At the end of the day, I think all these experiences, especially for a semi-new team at the start of the season, are really important to go through,” Miami coach Eric Spoelstra said. “Late situations in the game, learning how to hold on to the lead, how to play… I think it was really important to go through with that. Obviously it’s always better to do that and win.”
Lowry finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Jimmy Butler scored 27 points for the Heat, making two free throws with 10.4 seconds remaining after Utah cut the score to 116-115.
“We have to keep finishing matches and the way we finished that match wasn’t very good,” Lowry said. “We have to keep improving. That’s just what we have to do.”
Mitchell then missed his 3-point attempt, as Lowry grabbed the rebound and fired a pass down to Butler.
The Heat returned for a 17-point loss at home to Boston on Thursday. Lowry also sprained his left ankle in the defeat.
“It’s a long season,” Laurie said. “One game is one game. It won’t make or break us. All we can do is keep getting better every night.”
The Jazz rallied, 115-113 in Mike Conley’s pointer third corner with 18 points remaining.
Hero shared two free throws 17 seconds before the end of the match to put Miami in front 116-113 before Rudi Gobert cut the difference six seconds later.
Mitchell finished with 37 points, Conley added 18 and Royce O’Neill scored 15 points and had a top 6 wins. Mitchell missed Thursday’s game in Atlanta with a right ankle sprain.
“The most important thing is that we were able to do it when it counted,” Mitchell said of the late jazz rally. “Now we have to do this for 48 minutes.”
Herro has hit 6 of 8 three-pointers and has played his 25th game with 20 or more points off the bench. He and Goran Dragic were tied to lead the team throughout.
“You want to be in those last minutes, and be able to help the team try to win every night,” Herro said.
Drawn at 74, the Heat took a forever lead after a 13-4 spurt in the final 2:35 of the third inning. Herro and Lowry hit three-pointers to make headway in Miami.
“They did really well and take a lot of shots and they do it because they have a good team and a great coach,” said Jazz coach Coen Snyder. “For us, we hope these types of games learn about yourself, how to play, and how to play in a certain style.”
Jumper Laurie capped 12-0 early in the second quarter giving the Heat their first double-digit lead at 43-32. Three shots from O’Neill and Bojan Bogdanovic helped the Jazz outmaneuver Miami 12-6 in the final 3:35 of the period and earned a 55-52 lead in the first half.
Hints
The Jazz: This was the third time Hassan Whiteside had played in Miami since leaving the Heat, and those three games were with three different teams. He played in Miami with Portland in January 2020 and Sacramento in January 2021.
Heat: Duncan Robinson’s only 3-pointer in the first quarter has given him at least one outside of the arc in 57 consecutive games, tying his Miami franchise record previously set in the 2019-20 season. … Robinson has now played in 156 consecutive games, two short of matching Pam Adebayo’s fourth-longest streak in Heat history.
Road Warriors
Miami played five of its first nine home games. An extended period will now start where you play nine of the next 11 games, and 22 of the next 33 games on the way. The Heat is the fourth team in NBA history to start with 26 road games in its first 42 games, joining the 1996-97 Heat, 2006-07 Milwaukee Bucks and 2012-13 Cleveland Cavaliers.
see you soon
The teams play again next Saturday, November 13, in Salt Lake City. This will be the second series the Jazz have completed this season (they play with Atlanta on Thursday, and the second of two meetings between these two clubs) and the first series the Heat will finish this season.
the following
Jazz: Visit Orlando on a Sunday.
Heat: Visit Denver on Monday.