Utah @ Miami preview
Kaseya Center
Last Meeting ( Mar 2, 2024 ) Utah 120, Miami 126
The Miami Heat are set to move forward on the schedule without Jimmy Butler, who was suspended for seven games in advance of Saturday's home game against the Utah Jazz.
Coming off a 128-115 loss at home to the Indiana Pacers on Thursday, amid a rocky 17-15 season, the Heat now will try to overcome some in-house drama after Butler was suspended for "conduct detrimental to the team."
Butler, 35, is in the final year of a contract that pays him $49 million this season. His $52 million player option for next season seems all but a memory now.
Despite the Butler distractions that go back at least to last month, the Heat have won four of their past six games.
Butler, who had been out 13 days due to illness, did not play the fourth quarter in either of Miami's games this week -- a win over New Orleans on Wednesday and the loss to Indiana on Thursday. He scored nine points in each game.
While the minimal production from Butler seemed to speak for itself, the Heat reiterated what seemed obvious in a statement to announce the seven-game suspension.
"Through his actions and statements, he has shown he no longer wants to be part of this team," Miami's statement read, in part.
Without Butler moving forward, the Heat will continue to rely on shooting guard Tyler Herro, who leads the team in scoring at 24.1 points per game. Butler is second on the Heat with 17.6 points, is tied for second in rebounds with 5.5 and is third in assists (4.7) and steals (1.2).
While Miami takes pride in its defense, that hardly seemed to be the case against the Pacers, who shot 58.7 percent in the first half Thursday and 53.1 percent for the game.
The Jazz have lost five straight games, which was the third-longest active losing streak in the league heading into play on Friday.
Utah entered the weekend at 7-25 and tied for the third-worst record in the NBA. The Jazz are 5-13 on the road.
The Jazz's current troubles can be traced to September of 2022, when superstar guard Donovan Mitchell was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, Ochai Agbaji and five draft picks, including three in the first round.
Without Mitchell's production on offense, Utah is on pace to miss the playoffs for the third straight year.
Mitchell is averaging 23.7 points for the Cavaliers, who have the best record in the NBA.
The Jazz have one of the youngest teams in the NBA, with five key players age 23 and younger: Walker Kessler, 23; Taylor Hendricks, 21; Keyonte George, 21; Isaiah Collier, 20; and Cody Williams, 20. All five of those players were drafted in the first round.
Hendricks, who was supposed to be Utah's starting power forward, is out for the season due to injury, while George and Kessler are starters. George leads Utah in assists (5.7), while Kessler tops the squad in rebounds (10.9) and blocks (2.7).
Markkanen leads Utah with 19.5 points per game
"It's more about the legs," Markkanen said of his new shooting form. "I've also added the ‘no-dip 3', where I'm not putting the ball down."
--Field Level Media