The Utah Jazz made easy work of the Miami Heat on Saturday night, winning 136-100.
As the Heat work through the Jimmy Butler drama (he’s serving a team-issued suspension as Miami tries to find a trade partner in order to move on from him), it’s not really a surprise that they aren’t playing good basketball or that they would have some trouble.
Well, the Jazz went into Miami and used all of the Heat’s problems to their own benefit en route to snapping a five-game skid.
The tanking Jazz aren’t going to lose every game this season, and it’s necessary for confidence building to have a few wins here and there.
It just so happens that stomping on the already downtrodden is an easy way to refuel the morale tanks, and that’s exactly what happened in Miami.
Brice Sensabaugh’s game-ball night
It was a career night for second-year wing Brice Sensabaugh, who scored 34 points, including 20 in the fourth quarter. His teammates made sure to grab the game ball for him to take home after a night that displayed all of the work he has been putting in over the last two years.
“Really happy for Brice. He’s put in a lot of work,” Jazz head coach Will Hardy said. “Last year he didn’t get as much opportunity as maybe he wanted, but he’s continued to work on his game.
“He’s continued to work on making quicker decisions with the ball, and then there are moments where his talent really shines through. Brice is a really, really good young player, he’s got good feel and he’s got a great pace that he plays with.”
Sensabaugh, who also finished Saturday with seven rebounds, two assists and two steals, has talked a lot lately about not only the game slowing down for him but him slowing down his game to be able to make better reads and play within the natural rhythm of things. That is a really great approach for a player who is strong and smart but maybe not the most athletic.
This was a game in which the Jazz led by as many as 43 points and they certainly didn’t need the fourth-quarter flurry that came from Sensabaugh, but it is a welcomed sight to see that on a night when the Jazz were clearly going to win, their leading scorer wasn’t going to take his foot off the gas pedal.
“Brice was incredible,” Walker Kessler said of his teammate. “He played really well, played good defense. Obviously he was hitting everything. I mean, that last step back he had was crazy. I’m super happy for him. He’s a great dude, great teammate, really hard worker.”
John Collins’ return
After missing the last five games because of a hip contusion, John Collins made his return on Saturday night. The Jazz fed the ball to him early to try to get him going, and although things were understandably slow in the first few minutes, it didn’t take long for Collins to shake off the rust.
He finished the night with 24 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three blocks.
Walker Kessler’s continued dominance
It’s been an incredible comeback year for Walker Kessler, and he seems to be finding new ways every day to make a significant impact for the Jazz.
And yes, there has been a resurgence, which is why I use the word “comeback,” but Kessler has surpassed that by adding to his game as the season has progressed.
Even when he’s doing things like defending multiple positions, running the floor, blowing up actions, setting screens or crashing the glass, Kessler is doing them all with nuance and strength in a way that we haven’t seen from him before this season.
“We ask a lot of our team (with) defensive rebounding, and I think Walker has become a really dangerous offensive rebounder,” Hardy said. “Keeping plays alive, drawing fouls, those plays give energy to the team, and any time you can make a play that gives energy to your teammates, inspires your teammates, those are winning plays.”
Kessler finished the night with 14 points and 16 rebounds, including seven offensive boards.