Revenge was in the air as Miami Heat entered the Energy Solutions Arena on Wednesday night. Miami coughed up a 22-point advantage in the third quarter to surrender in overtime against Utah Jazz last time when the teams met this season and the Miami Heat
were out to avenge their heart-breaking defeat.
They did it in style, as the men from the South Beach launched a vociferous surge in the fourth quarter to romp to their sixth consecutive win.
LeBron James scored 33 points; Dwyane Wade added 28 while Chris Bosh chipped in with 14 as the Big Three of Miami stole the show again. Al Jefferson spearheaded Utah with 25 points and all five Jazz starters romped to double figures by the start of the fourth.
But it wasn't enough as the Heat pulled away with a 12-3 spurt to start the fourth quarter, to continue a mixed season for Jazz.
First half
Both the teams displayed extreme intensity at the start of the match. The scores were tied 5 times within the first six minutes as the match swung from one end to the other.
The Heats however inched ahead midway through the first quarter as a James Jones 3-pointer gave them 7-point advantage but Paul Millsap, the hero of the last match between the two franchises, nailed two baskets in the last minute to spearhead a 6-0 run that
closed the quarter at 28-27.
The Heat led by as many as 10 again in the second as Dwyane Wade nailed eight points in a 3-minute span, and James' driving lay-up with 4:27 left made it 49-39 but the Jazz came right back with a 9-3 opening, capped by a Raja Bell triple pointer, to make
it 48-51 two minutes from the break.
Second Half
The Heats hit the ground running coming into the second half and led by 12 three minutes into the third quarter. The Jazz retaliated big time though, as they caught the Miami defence napping to pull off a 14-2 run to come within striking distance at 64-66.
Jazz continued to step up the pressure and finally swept pass the Miami lead a minute before the buzzer as Raja Bell slipped in two free throws.
The Heats choked down the stretch in the last match against Utah and they were determined not to repeat that ordeal again as they came out with a bang to start the fourth quarter with a 12-3 run. The spurt completely took the steam out of the Jazz outfit
as the Heat pressed on to a 111-98 win.
Deron Williams complemented Al Jefferson to lead the assault for Utah. The phenomenal guard had a bad start though, as he attempted his first shot until there was 8:32 left in the second quarter. He finished with 21 points and 12 assists while Paul Millsap
also left it late to finish with 18.
For Miami the Big Three scored nearly 70 percent of the points while Zydrunas Ilgauskas also chipped in with 16 points, shooting 7-for-10, and complemented it with 10 rebounds to round off a great night for the Heats.
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