Defensive streak leads Utah Jazz to a 112-94 victory, his 7th straight win

Before Saturday night’s game against Utah Jazz, all the Miami media gathered in a call from Zoom was asking Heat coach Erik Spoelstra about the 3-point shot, 3-point shot, 3-point shot.

Maybe they should be asking about defense.

On a night when Jazz’s normally prolific attack was easing somewhat, an epic closing effort proved to be more than enough to lead them to their seventh consecutive victory – 112-94.

It was Utah’s 18th win in its last 19 games, and increased to 22-5 this season.

It was not like many of their predecessors, however, in that they simply buried their opponent with a 3-point flood. While Utah’s deep ball shot would change slightly, they were just 1 of 12 past the hoop in the first quarter and 3 of 21 at halftime.

Still, despite all those bricks, some incredible defensive strokes by Rudy Gobert, Royce O’Neale – even Miye Oni – put Utah in the lead.

They took another step right after the break.

Miami’s first 14 possessions in the third quarter consisted of 11 missed shots and three turns, with Jazz scoring 16 consecutive points and turning a five-point lead at halftime into a 63-42 lead.

“We are a great pitching team, but we know that our pitches are not going to fall in some games, [and] our defense is what will really keep us going, ”said O’Neale, who also contributed eight points, seven rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks. “In the first half, we were a little slow and, reaching the third quarter, we knew that we had to resume. It started with myself, and then everyone followed. “

In fact, the Heat did not put the ball in the basket until 5:51 was left in the period, and ended up totaling only 15 points in the quarter in 5-in-20 shots.

They got enough points from players in outbreaks – Bojan Bogdanovic reaching the limit in the first quarter, Georges Niang taking down a few rare 3s, Mitchell going in a personal 7-0 race to open the third, Gobert diving to 11 points in the fourth – they were able to keep it closed early and then move away late.

In the end, Jazz hit only 12 out of 46 (26.1%) in the 3-point range for the game.

That’s why all those little things on the other side have been added. O’Neale alone (literally) interrupted two Miami transition opportunities by being in the right position and simply sliding down and throwing the ball away.

“I only have fast hands, I think,” he said sheepishly when asked how he perfected his way.

Meanwhile, Gobert had an incredible streak in which he blocked a 2-on-1 with All-Stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.

First, he did not overreact to Butler’s impulse to the edge, remaining well positioned and forcing a pass. So, despite biting Adebayo’s fake bomb, an incredibly fast second jump allowed him to challenge the shot at close range and force a mistake. When Butler grabbed the rebound and tried to rebound the rabbit, Gobert hit him.

Butler only got 3 out of 10 for the game, while Adebayo got 7 out of 17.

“Tonight was exactly one of those games when they left, they were very physical, they punched us in the face. But we didn’t overreact to the fact that our kicks didn’t fall, ”said Gobert, who finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks. “We continue to play defense, we keep running and we keep attacking.”

With 3s off target all the time, Jazz dug into his toolbox deeper and deeper and threw a little bit of everything into the problem. It all started with that defense, of course (Miami hit only 40.7% overall and 12 out of 36 in the background), but it also included attacking the rim (54 points in the painting), going out in the transition (20 quick break points) and controlling the plates (10 offensive rebounds produced 13 second chance points).

“The coach does a very good job of getting the little things right with us, whether it’s not talking to the referee after a play, or making sure we’re back on defense, or making the extra pass. And those little things add up night after night, and that’s how you win games, ”said Niang, who scored 14 points, the best draw of the season, and five assists. “And other teams lose games because they refuse to hold each other responsible for these little things. And I think that’s one thing – especially after the playoff series last year, and our ups and downs – that the coach put his foot down, being All-Stars in the little things. “