As the new year continues, the Utah Jazz are looking to right the ship away from home.
Following a New Year’s Day defeat to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, Utah has traveled south to take on the Miami Heat Saturday night. After a month of hot 3-point shooting in December, the Jazz struggled to hit shots against New York (30 percent from downtown) and couldn’t limit the scoring damage around the basket (the Knicks finished with 70 points in the paint).
Miami (17-15) has battled through an up-and-down start to the season, with key absences and inconsistent play often holding the team back. However, the Heat rank above the league average in both offensive and defensive rating, showcasing the team’s potential on a nightly basis. Tyler Herro (24.1 points and 5.1 assists per game on 41 percent shooting from three) is enjoying the best season of his career as a main engine in Miami’s offense.
The two teams split the season series a year ago.
Injury report:
Jazz:
QUESTIONABLE – John Collins (left hip contusion)
OUT – Elijah Harkless (G League Two-Way), Taylor Hendricks (right fibula fracture), Oscar Tshiebwe (G League Two-Way), Cody Williams (G League – On Assignment)
Heat:
OUT – Josh Richardson (right heel inflammation), Dru Smith (left achilles surgery), Isaiah Stevens (G League Two-Way)
Here are three keys to Saturday’s meeting.
The battle from beyond the arc
As mentioned earlier, Utah’s offense got a big boost in December as a result of a hot shooting stretch from deep. The Jazz ranked ninth in offensive rating last month and connected on 40.6 percent from beyond the arc, the second-highest percentage in the league.
Both Miami and Utah have similar shot distributions on the offensive end, relying on more 3-point attempts than shots at the rim or from the mid-range. For the Jazz, 40.8 percent of their shot attempts have come from deep this season (the 10th-highest frequency) and they’ve connected on 37 percent of them.
Meanwhile, Miami has taken 40.5 percent of its shot attempts from downtown and have hit on 38.1 percent of them, the seventh-highest percentage. Whichever team is able to find a rhythm from deep Saturday night will have a key advantage.
Generate an advantage on the offensive glass
A key strength for the Jazz this season has been their proficiency on the boards, especially on the offensive end.
Utah ranks third in the league with a 31.5 offensive rebound percentage and sixth in the league in second-chance points per game (15). Although Miami has been an adept defensive rebounding team, the Heat don’t generate many second-chance opportunities for themselves on the offensive end of the floor, ranking 22nd in offensive rebound percentage.
Utah has grabbed at least 10 offensive rebounds in seven of the last eight games. Replicating that kind of success against Miami Saturday night will be key in keeping pace with the Heat.
Limit turnovers
If the Jazz had a New Year’s resolution as a team, it would almost certainly be to limit their turnovers.
Utah ranks last in the league in turnover percentage (18.6 percent), which has hurt the team’s transition defense. Against the Knicks, the Jazz coughed it up 17 times that directly led to 22 points for New York, and the Knicks ended the night with 34 fast break points.
Going up against a Miami defense that has found success generating turnovers (the Heat rank 13th in the league in opponent turnover percentage), the Jazz will need to limit their mistakes Saturday night. Utah has committed at least 15 turnovers in seven of its last eight games.
