MIAMI — Last Tuesday night the Miami Heat suffered a meltdown, losing 102-101 to Milwaukee after squandering a 22-point lead.

The debacle made them only the fourth NBA team to blow a lead of 20 or more points entering the fourth quarter.

In their next outing, against New York on Wednesday, the Heat got by 84-81 — despite being up by 15 late. Against the Jazz on Friday night, though, they were not so lucky. Utah won 94-92, overcoming Miami's 13-point fourth-quarter advantage.

"We are not executing, not rebounding and not playing good defense down the stretch," the Heat's Eddie Jones, sounding a lot like Jazz coach Jerry Sloan often does, said after the Utah victory. "We were giving those guys easy transition baskets. You can't do it like that. You can't give a team like that a lot of confidence by letting them right back in the game quick. We can't play like that. We did everything possible to give them the game."

Game-leading scorer Karl Malone of the Jazz did not entirely disagree.

"They missed some easy ones," he said.

NO POPEYE: The Heat played Friday without 6-foot-19, 235-pound forward Don MacLean, who has been suspended five games without pay by the NBA because of steroid use.

MacLean's agent, Mark Bartelstein, told the Miami Herald on Wednesday that MacLean was unaware a supplement he was taking to treat tendinitis in his knee contained a league-banned steroid.

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MacLean, who is out anyway due to toe surgery (but loses more than $44,000 in pay because of the suspension), said he stopped taking the supplement as soon as he discovered that one of its ingredients was banned.

Bartelstein defended his client, telling the Herald "Look at him. . . . He's not exactly busting out at the seams." MacLean admitted as much Friday, saying, "I think by looking at my physique you can probably tell that I'm not a steroid monster."

MISC.: Jazz guard John Starks finished with 6 points Friday, leaving him 1 shy of 10,000 for his career. After the game Starks iced a sore right hand, but said he was okay. . . . Jazz forward Bryon Russell plays his 500th NBA game, all with the Jazz, tonight at Charlotte. . . . Utah's John Stockton had six assists Friday. The NBA's all-time assists leader needs 61 more for 14,000 in his career. . . . Miami's A.C. Green played eight minutes Friday, extending his NBA consecutive games streak to 1,126. Last season, Green surpassed the professional game record (NBA and ABA games combined) 1,041 held by Jazz broadcast analyst Ron Boone.


E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com

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