Prediction – Heat 101, Jazz 95
Unfortunately, even before witnessing Utah’s catastrophic loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, I had predicted this match-up against the Heat to end up as a Jazz loss. Whiteside has every reason to be motivated for a win and after a somewhat slow start, I expect Miami to get things going sooner rather than later.
Meanwhile, the loss to Philly proved that the Jazz have an awful lot to figure out before they’re truly a formidable competitor in the NBA and as much as I respect Quin Snyder and the guys that make up his team’s roster, I don’t see Utah fixing all their issues in time for this match-up against the Heat.
Next: Utah Jazz: Mike D’Antoni bemoans Salt Lake’s alleged lack of Starbucks
The good news is that they will be coming into the contest off of two full days of rest, so hopefully that’s given them time to get some good practice in, unwind somewhat from their poor performances and prep for a crucially important contest that could help turn around their recent slump.
And while I don’t view the Heat as all that daunting of an opponent and one that the Jazz truly should be capable of beating, based on Utah’s recent showings, I’m simply not confident in pinning them as winners in this one. Therefore, I’m projecting that the Heat get away with a narrow 101-95 victory which will send the Jazz dwindling to their fourth straight loss.