Halftime Report
The last time the Jazz and the Heat met, the game was decided by 36 points, but it sure doesn’t look like the final score will be so lopsided this time. After two quarters, neither team has the match in the bag, but the Jazz lead 70-68 over the Heat.
If the Jazz keep playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 10-26 in no time. On the other hand, the Heat will have to make due with an 18-18 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
Miami Heat @ Utah Jazz
Current Records: Miami 18-17, Utah 9-26
How To Watch
- When: Thursday, January 9, 2025 at 9 p.m. ET
- Where: Delta Center — Salt Lake City, Utah
- TV: KJZZ-TV 14
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $2.75
What to Know
The Jazz will be in front of their home fans on Thursday, but a look at the spread shows they might need that home-court advantage. They will host the Miami Heat at 9:00 p.m. ET at Delta Center.
Last Tuesday, the Jazz lost 124-121 to the Hawks on a last-minute shot From Trae Young. For those keeping track at home, that’s the closest defeat Utah has suffered against Atlanta since March 21, 2019.
The Jazz’s loss shouldn’t obscure the performances of Walker Kessler, who dropped a double-double on 21 points and ten rebounds, and Lauri Markkanen, who went 8 for 15 from beyond the arc en route to 35 points plus two steals. Those eight threes gave Markkanen a new career-high.
Meanwhile, the Heat finally caught a break after three consecutive losses. They strolled past the Warriors with points to spare on Tuesday, taking the game 114-98.
The Heat can attribute much of their success to Bam Adebayo, who almost dropped a double-double on 19 points and nine rebounds.
The Heat were working as a unit and finished the game with 32 assists. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they’ve now posted at least 25 assists in five consecutive matchups.
Utah’s defeat was their eighth straight at home, which dropped their record down to 9-26. As for Miami, they now have a winning record of 18-17.
While only the Heat took care of their fans the last time they played, both teams pleased bettors by covering the spread. As for their next game, the Heat are the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 5.5 points. This contest will be Utah’s 28th straight as the underdogs (so far over this stretch they are 15-12 against the spread).
Everything came up roses for the Jazz against the Heat in their previous matchup on Saturday, as the squad secured a 136-100 win. In that match, the Jazz amassed a halftime lead of 62-41, an impressive feat they’ll look to repeat on Thursday.
Odds
Miami is a solid 5.5-point favorite against Utah, according to the latest NBA odds.
The line has drifted a bit towards the Heat, as the game opened with the Heat as a 4-point favorite.
The over/under is 223.5 points.
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Series History
Miami has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Utah.
- Jan 04, 2025 – Utah 136 vs. Miami 100
- Mar 02, 2024 – Miami 126 vs. Utah 120
- Dec 30, 2023 – Utah 117 vs. Miami 109
- Mar 13, 2023 – Miami 119 vs. Utah 115
- Dec 31, 2022 – Miami 126 vs. Utah 123
- Nov 13, 2021 – Miami 111 vs. Utah 105
- Nov 06, 2021 – Miami 118 vs. Utah 115
- Feb 26, 2021 – Miami 124 vs. Utah 116
- Feb 13, 2021 – Utah 112 vs. Miami 94
- Feb 12, 2020 – Utah 116 vs. Miami 101
