Fourth-quarter push falls short as Jazz lose their 9th straight to Miami

I’m really running out of ways to voice my disgust with the current state of Utah Jazz basketball. Despite a furious comeback effort in the fourth quarter that shrank Miami’s lead from 23 to 5, it was too little, too late for Utah in their homecoming.

They fell to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Heat squad 115-109, inflating the Jazz’s total in the loss column to double digits, still tied for last place in the entire NBA at 1-10. The Greek Freak elevated an uneven roster despite battling through a wrist injury, dropping a game-high 30 points. A shocking number of those were delivered via pull-ups from the deep mid-range.

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It’s hard to blame a team as injury-riddled as Utah’s — especially at this point in the season. Losing four starters is nearly unbelievable luck now that the Jazz are earnestly committed to making a playoff push. Losing that many starters in the first 10 games is unthinkable. The season is still incredibly young, and rosters are fresh. Fresh legs and minimal fatigue make for healthy rosters, which means the hobbled Jazz are limping on to battle against full-strength foes.

Without Jackson Jr., Markkanen, Nurkic, or even Keyonte George, this team has been a charity, giving out free victories to those in need. Or want. Or are simply in the general vicinity.

The only remaining member of Will Hardy’s starting lineup is rookie Darryn Peterson, who has managed to get his feet beneath him with three straight performances of 20-plus points. Peterson’s rookie year got off to a slow start in terms of scoring consistency, but he hasn’t looked back since notching a then-career-high 21 points two games ago, with follow-up acts of 26 and 25.

He has scored 50% of his field goals or better in each of those games, seasoning the dish with 44% three-point shooting and 4 assists. Peterson has also posted at least one steal in eight of his last nine appearances.

But DP isn’t the only young Jazzman bringing defensive effort back to the forefront in SLC; Ace Bailey has been heartless on the defensive end, a constant disruptor whose Plastic Man arms can constantly be seen swinging at shot attempts and deflecting…

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Publish date : 2026-11-11 06:58:00

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