The Miami Heat head to Salt Lake City for a showdown with the Utah Jazz on February 12, 2020.
The Heat are on a six-game road trip and they head to Utah after defeating the Golden State Warriors on Monday night. The win snapped a season-worst three-game losing streak for the Heat. Miami is 2-3 SU in their last five road games. The Jazz are starting a six-game homestand here. Utah is 19-5 SU at the Vivint Smart Home Center this season and the Jazz have won three straight games after suffering five consecutive defeats. Miami won the first meetings between these two teams this season 107-104 in South Beach.
The Heat continue their six-game road trip with game five set for Utah on Wednesday night. The Heat are 2-3 SU in their last five games played on the road and they are just 13-15 SU on the road this season. In their last game played, Miami defeated the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center 113-101 to snap a season-worst three-game losing streak.
Jimmy Butler led the Heat with 21 points and 10 rebounds in his first game back after sitting out two games with a shoulder injury. Butler leads the Heat with 20.5 points, 6.2 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. Miami also played without Tyler Herro for the fourth consecutive game as the rookie has been bothered by a sore foot.
The Heat rank 15th in the league in scoring at 111.9points per game this season. They are 16th in rebounding at 45.1 boards grabbed per contest and are also 11th in passing at 25.5 assists per contest. Miami ranks 11th overall in scoring defense at 108.2 points per game allowed.
The Utah Jazz open a six-game homestand on Wednesday night. The Jazz have won three straight games after losing five in a row. In their last game played, Utah defeated the Mavericks 123-119 in Dallas last Monday night behind 25 points from Jordan Clarkson and 7-7 shooting from Rudy Gobert.
The Jazz are led by third-year guard Donovan Mitchell who recently received his first All-Star selection. Mitchell averaged 20.5 points as a rookie, 23.8 points as a sophomore and is currently putting up 24.3 points per game, 14th overall in the league. Bojan Bogdanovic is having a fantastic season at 21.0 points per game while shooting 42.3% from behind the three-point arc.
Utah ranks 16th in the league in scoring at 111.2 points per game. They have the 8th best scoring defense overall at 107.3 points per game allowed this season. The Jazz are 12th in rebounding at 45.6 boards grabbed per contest and are also 26th in passing at 22.2 dimes per contest.
Miami is 5-5 SU in their last 10 days played. The Heat are 2-3 SU in their last five games played at home, and 4-9 SU in their last 13 road games against the Western Conference. Utah is also 5-5 SU in their last 10 games played. The Jazz are 3-2 SU in their last five games played at home, and 8-0 SU in their last eight home games against the Eastern Conference. Head to head, the Heat are 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played against the Jazz.
The Heat have played without rookie and key reserve Tyler Herro in their last four games and Miami has gone 1-3 SU over that period. Herro’s scoring has certainly been missed and the Heat will continue to miss him until at least the All-Star break. The Heat have 8 players (including Herro) who are scoring in double digits so that balanced scoring helps for them.
The Jazz have recovered from a five-game losing streak. Utah has picked up three close wins over the Blazers, Rockets, and Mavericks. Bojan Bogdanovic has been averaging 21.3 points per game at their home floor and shooting the three-ball at 44.4% when playing at the Vivint Smart Home Arena.
Miami’s suffering a mid-season slump right now and heading to the All-Star break, the focus may not be there, especially since they are on the road here. Jimmy Butler will always be a force to reckon with but without Tyler Herro, the Heat may be short of firepower against a defensive team like the Jazz.
Prediction: Utah Jazz
The Heat are 4-6 ATS in their last 10 games played. Miami is 2-3 ATS in their last five games played on the road, and 4-8-1 ATS in their last 13 road games against the Western Conference. The Jazz are 3-6-1 ATS in their last 10 games played. Utah is 0-3-1 ATS in their last four games played at home, and 6-2 ATS in their last 8 home games played against the Eastern Conference. Head to head, Jazz are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Heat.
Heat
+4 (-105)
Jazz
-4 (-115)
Odds from SportsBetting as of 02/12/20
The Heat have failed to cover four times in their last five games against Western Conference teams. On the other hand, the Jazz are 9-0 ATS in their last nine games against teams from the Eastern Conference and 8-4 ATS in their last 12 February games. Miami will be without Tyler Herro who has missed four straight games with a sore foot and they will be missing his 13.1 points per game scoring average. Sure, the Heat have plenty of guys who can score but against an outstanding defensive team like Utah, I like the Jazz to cover at home.
Prediction: Jazz -4
The total has gone under in six out of the last eight games played by the Heat. The under is 4-1 in the last five road games played by Miami, and 7-6 in their last 13 road games against the Western Conference. The total has gone over in 18 out of the last 20 games played by the Jazz. The over is 13-11 in the last 24 home games played by Utah. Head to head, the total has gone under in four out of the last five games played by these two teams. The under is 4-2 in the last six games played by these two teams in Utah.
Over
217.5 (-105)
Under
217.5 (-115)
Odds from SportsBetting as of 02/12/20
The Heat and Jazz play some of the slowest-paced games in the league this season and they put more emphasis on defense. Miami has allowed 109 or more points in only three out of their last eight assignments and they have gone below the 217.5 total in two out of their last three outings. Utah’s defense has allowed 113 or more points in six out of their last eight games and they have been in high scoring games in their last 10 outings. However, they will be matched up against a methodic Miami team which will result in a low-scoring contest.
Prediction: Under 217.5
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