NBA: Jimmy Butler fuels Heat to win over Jazz

Jimmy Butler’s season-high 37 points led six Miami scorers in double figures and the Heat held off the visiting Utah Jazz, 126-120 on Saturday.

Butler scored 25 points in the second half, and Miami needed every bit of his effort in a game with 11 ties and 21 lead changes.

Keyonte George fueled Utah, finishing with 31 points to fall two shy of matching the career high he set on Feb. 15. George shot 6 of 14 from 3-point range to lead the Jazz to a 14-of-35 effort from beyond the arc.

Lauri Markkanen shot 4 of 9 from distance and made 11 of 12 at the free-throw line en route to 25 points. Markkanen also dished a team-high six assists.

The Jazz went on a 9-0 run just before halftime and scored the first seven points after intermission to lead by as many as 11 points in the third quarter.

But Utah could not overcome Butler and Miami after the Heat pulled ahead in the fourth quarter. Twice in the final 2:17 when the Jazz pulled to within six points, Butler provided the answer — including a three-point-play with 1:11 remaining to cap his performance and effectively put the game away.

Bam Adebayo scored 23 points in the win and grabbed seven rebounds, Terry Rozier had 14 points and a game-high eight assists, and Duncan Robinson — making the start with Tyler Herro (knee) out for a fourth consecutive contest — went for 12 points and six assists.

Thirty-three of Miami’s 46 made field goals were assisted to power the Heat to their highest-scoring game since Dec. 2.

Caleb Martin (18 points) and Jaime Jaquez Jr. (12) came off the bench to round out Miami’s double-figure scoring efforts. Martin shot 4 of 6 from 3-point range.

Collin Sexton and John Collins each scored 18 points for Utah, which dropped its eighth decision in the last nine games. Taylor Hendricks grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds for the Jazz.

–Field Level Media/Reuters