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 Forward Chris Bosh scored 25 points, and the Heat defeated the Utah
Jazz 92-91 Thursday night at the AmericanAirlines Arena.
Guard Tyler Johnson hit a jump shot with 38.1 seconds remaining to
bump the Heat's lead back up to 88-84 after Jazz guard Alec Burks
sank a layup to trim the deficit to two. Johnson also hit a layup on
the Heat's previous possession.
Bosh, who finished with eight rebounds and four assists, had a key
block -- one of four for him -- on a layup attempt by Burks with
19.9 seconds remaining. He shot 9-for-18, showing versatility on
offense with jumpers, post play and drives to the basket.
"Me and Dwyane always have jokes -- when he is not playing, I am
going to shoot more and vice versa," Bosh said. "I just wanted to
make sure I was being aggressive early and often."
Miami (6-3) is off to a 3-0 start on a seven-game homestand.
Playing without starting center Rudy Gobert, who has an ankle
injury, Utah (4-4) dropped its second in a row on a four-game road
trip. The Jazz are opening the season with 10 of 14 games away from
home.
Forward Derrick Favors led Utah with 25 points, 12 rebounds and
seven blocks.
The Heat started the fourth quarter on a 13-4 run after the teams
were tied at the end of three.
Johnson came off the bench to handle some of the scoring duties
vacated by Wade, contributing 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting. He also
had four rebounds and three assists.
"You go with fearless right now, and that defines Tyler," Heat coach
Erik Spoelstra said of having the former D-League player shoot the
critical jumper with under a minute remaining. "He was in a pretty
good flow during the course of the game. ... We went back to it."
Miami guard Goran Dragic added 14 points and made four of his six
free throws in the waning possessions to put the game away.
Burks and forward Gordon Hayward each had 24 points for the Jazz.
Burks hit a 3-pointer as time expired, but it was a moot point.
Hayward added 11 rebounds.
For the Jazz, it was a similar story to Tuesday's loss to the
Cavaliers in Cleveland. They were beat in a tight, hard-fought game
by one guy they were expecting it from and one guy they weren't.
Against the Cavs, it was forward LeBron James and guard Mo Williams;
against the Heat, it was Bosh and Johnson.
"They are (taking it tough), and you want them to on some level,"
Jazz coach Quin Snyder said of his players. "I feel the same way,
but there is a bigger picture here, so you can't be emotional or
drained."
Favors shot 10-for-18, stepping up on both sides of the floor in
Gobert's absence by making it difficult on Heat center Hassan
Whiteside, who was held to a modest nine points. Whiteside, however,
grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked five shots.
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"Without (Gobert) out there, I took it upon myself to set the tone
early," Favors said. "Tried to get some stops, tried to get some
momentum for us on the defensive end. I just had a good night."
The Jazz were held to 38.2 percent shooting from the field,
including 4-for-17 on 3-pointers. Utah missed its first nine shots
from beyond the arc in the first half before Burks hit one on the
opening possession after halftime.
"This was a throwback game to the '90s -- that's just how physical
it was," Spoelstra said.
The teams exchanged baskets for most of the third quarter and were
tied at 66. Miami led 46-45 at halftime when a review of a basket by
forward Luol Deng shaved a point off the Heat's lead because it was
changed from a 3-pointer to a 2-point basket.
Heat rookie guard Josh Richardson got the first start of his career
in place of Wade, and he scored eight first-quarter points.
Jazz rookie forward Trey Lyles also got his first start, and he
registered two points and five rebounds in 18 minutes.
Guard Beno Udrih, recently traded to the Heat from the Memphis
Grizzlies, debuted for Miami at the 1:05 mark of the first quarter.
Udrih had two points, three rebounds and an assist in 17 minutes.
NOTES: Heat G Dwyane Wade was inactive Thursday while accompanying
his son to the hospital. "His son is OK, but Dwyane is going to be
with him tonight," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. ... G Gerald
Green (suspension) was the other inactive Heat player. With Wade
out, the Heat started rookie G Josh Richardson for the first time in
his career. ... Jazz C Rudy Gobert (left ankle sprain) was inactive
after coach Quin Snyder called him a game-time decision in a pregame
press conference. Gobert started all seven games before sitting out
Thursday. ... In Gobert's absence, rookie Jazz F Trey Lyles made his
first career start and C Jeff Withey was activated for the first
time since the opener against the Indiana Pacers. ... The Heat
continue their homestand against the Minnesota Timberwolves on
Tuesday. ... The Jazz visit the Orlando Magic on Friday for the
second night of a back-to-back.
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