On a short Saturday day in the NBA where five games will be played,
Miami Heat and
Utah Jazz will face each other in a very important game for both teams, which will of course feature the main stars of each franchise: Jimmy Butler and Lauri Markkanen.
The Jazz will serve as visitors in a game that is crucial for the Salt Lake City franchise. The team is currently 11th in the Western Conference and, having lost its last two games, has a 27-33 record. This losing streak has caused Utah to drop out of the race for the paly-in, whose last position is currently occupied by the Los Angeles Lakers (10th with a 33-28 record). So another loss would leave the gap with the Los Angeles Lakers already with a considerable distance.
Miami, on the other hand, wants to redeem itself from its last loss in the Western Conference tour where it won a good number of games. Despite the earlier stumble, the Florida franchise has won seven of its last 10 games, and with a 33-26 record wants to keep pushing for direct playoff qualification. They are currently 7th, while Orlando Magic is 6th with 34-26.
Expert predictions (Possible quintets and result)
The main predictions for tonight's game place Miami Heat as the favorite to win the game. Considering their status as home team and the poor performance of Utah Jazz in recent games, it would be disappointing for the Florida Heat not to win.
In addition, the potential quintets will be as follows:
- Heat: Terry Rozier, Duncan Robinson, Nikola Jovic, Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo.
- Jazz: Collin Sexton, Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks, Lauri Markkanen, John Collins.
Schedule and TV.
The game will be played tonight at 23:00h (peninsular time), and can be followed through the official NBA website and app with League Pass subscription.
Downs
- Heat: Tyler Herro (knee), Haywood Highsmith (knee), Caleb Martin (thumb) and Kevin Love (heel), questionable. Josh Richardson (shoulder), out. Dru Smith (knee), out for the season.
- Jazz: Walker Kessler (foot), questionable.