The J-Notes
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Utah Jazz vs Miami Heat: Jazz looking to even things up

By Braden Stringer

SAN ANTONIO, TX - DECEMBER 9: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz shoots a free throw against the San Antonio Spurs on December 9, 2018 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photos by Mark Sobhani/NBAE via Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO, TX - DECEMBER 9: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz shoots a free throw against the San Antonio Spurs on December 9, 2018 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photos by Mark Sobhani/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Wednesday’s matchup will likely be a tight one, but Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz are in a good position to put an end to the Miami Heat’s four-game win streak against them.

The Utah Jazz haven’t beat the Miami Heat since November 12, 2016 — that’s a really long time. Because the teams play in different conferences, though, it only amounts to four losses over that stretch. Three of those four games were decided by two points or fewer; I think it’s safe to assume that this matchup will follow that trend and most likely come down to the wire.

That said, I feel like the Jazz are in a good position to come out of this one with a win. However, Utah’s play has been fairly inconsistent so far and there are certainly no guarantees in today’s NBA.

It will be important that the starters can get going, especially Donovan Mitchell and Ricky Rubio. That said, I feel like the biggest keys to this game will be ball control and defense. If the Jazz can execute in these two areas, I like their chances of getting on win on the home court.

First and foremost in my mind is limiting turnovers. Recently, Coach Quin Snyder has been putting a lot of emphasis on how important it is that the Jazz control the ball. Turnovers have plagued the Jazz this season and played a pretty major role in most of the team’s losses so far.

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Coach Q’s offense relies on good ball movement and that clearly can’t happen when we don’t have the ball. This was very clear In Utah’s loss to Oklahoma City Thunder.

Another key is going to be continued defensive improvement. Even though Utah lost its last two games by wide margins, the defense has been improving over the course of the season. The team has been gradually clawing its way up the defensive efficiency ratings. Though it may not seem like it, Utah has been improving in many categories over the past few weeks.

If the Jazz can limit turnovers and continue to play solid defense, I believe that it will come out with win against the Heat on Wednesday.

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