Somewhere Butler fiddles as Heat burned in 136-100 loss to Jazz

Ira Winderman, South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Jan 4, 2025

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MIAMI — As bad as it had gotten with Jimmy Butler and his indifference and indignation, it got even worse Saturday night for the Miami Heat.

With Butler serving the first game of a seven-game team suspension imposed Friday for “conduct detrimental to the team,” Erik Spoelstra’s team offered its own version of detriment, falling 136-100 to the Utah Jazz at Kaseya Center.

As in a Utah Jazz team that entered 7-25 amid a season targeted for losing and the lottery.

And, so, the largest loss of the season and the most points surrendered.

Whether staggered by the front office’s sanction of Butler or simply again proving unable to sustain any level of success, the Heat were lost from the start, the non-Butler leading men hardly leading in this one.

Instead, four points from center Bam Adebayo and 15 from guard Tyler Herro, as the Heat fell to 17-16.

While there were 17 points from Nikola Jovic and 16 from Duncan Robinson, there was no upside on a night the Heat bottomed out, left to lick wounds on a six-game western swing while Butler idles amid a desire for a trade.

On Saturday, it was difficult to argue with any player preferring to be elsewhere, with West Palm Beach product John Collins going for 24 points and Walker Kessler for 16 rebounds, as the Jazz seemingly got anything they wanted any time they wanted.

Five Degrees of Heat from Saturday night’s game:

— 1. Game flow: It was tied 22-22 at the end of the first quarter, with the Jazz taking a 62-41 lead into halftime.

From there it got even worse — far, far, far worse — with Utah pushing to a 37-point lead before taking a 98-66 advantage into the fourth.

The white flag essentially was raised when Josh Christopher, the G League reigning Player of the Month, entered with 1:57 left in the third period and the Heat down 33, having appeared in two previous Heat games this season for a total of four minutes.

By the early stages of the fourth quarter, the Jazz’s lead was in the 40s.

— 2. Lots o’ awful: The Heat misery was spread throughout the lineup, with much of it centered around Herro and Adebayo.

Adebayo was done for the night when he checked out with 3:56 left in the third quarter, closing 0 for 6 from the field, with seven of his eight rebounds coming in the opening minutes.

Herro left for good 1:57 left in the third, finishing at 1 of 8 on 3-pointers.

Among other Heat starters, Haywood Highsmith closed with two points, with Terry Rozier 0 for 5 on 3-pointers.

— 3. Next men up: With Butler beginning his suspension, Spoelstra shook up his starting lineup beyond Butler’s slot.

Instead, in addition to staying with Adebayo, Herro and Highsmith in the starting lineup, Spoelstra also opened with Jovic and Rozier.

It was just the second start for Rozier since Nov. 17 (also starting in last Sunday’s victory in Houston, when Butler was away from the team).

For Jovic, it was his second start since Dec. 21 in Orlando (a game that Butler also missed).

It added up to the Heat’s sixth starting lineup of the season.

— 4. Youth movement: While some of it was out of necessity with Butler out, Spoelstra wound up featuring ample youth early.

In addition to starting Jovic, the team’s 2022 first-round pick, Jaime Jaquez Jr., the 2023 first-round pick, was then first off the bench.

Those two were followed in the first period by 2024 first-round pick Kel’el Ware, and then undrafted rookie Keshad Johnson, who a week ago had his two-way contract converted to a standard deal.

Later, 2024 second-round pick Pelle Larsson, the guard out of Arizona, made it 11 deep for the Heat in the third period.

— 5. Taking flight: Up next is a six-game trip that opens Monday night against the Sacramento Kings and then is followed with games against the Golden State Warriors, Jazz, Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Clippers at Los Angeles Lakers.

The schedule will not have the Heat back at Kaseya Center until Jan. 17 against the Denver Nuggets, the first game after Butler’s suspension is scheduled to expire.