The Miami Heat hope a shakeup to their starting lineup will help them finish a five-game road trip with a winning record when they visit the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night.
The Heat are 2-2 on the road trip, going into Salt Lake City on Tuesday night. A major change to the starting lineup helped spark Miami’s 114-108 victory over Sacramento on Sunday.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra moved veteran forward Andrew Wiggins to the bench and gave Pelle Larsson his first start of the season against the Kings. Larsson battled foul trouble, but Miami’s new starting lineup of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Davion Mitchell, Klay Thompson, Bam Adebayo, and Larsson outscored Sacramento by 12 points in 11 minutes on the court together.
“These are tough decisions,” Spoelstra told the Miami Herald. “I really feel for Wiggs on this. Pelle is giving us that ability to be a connector and also consistent energy and toughness that we think can complement that group.”
The lineup change paid dividends for several Miami starters.
Antetokounmpo had 29 points, 14 rebounds and three assists against Sacramento. Thompson added 23 points, including seven 3-pointers, and Adebayo tallied 18 points and eight rebounds.
Wiggins struggled off the bench, scoring six points on 2-of-6 shooting in 32 minutes. He also had three rebounds and an assist. Larsson, meanwhile, tallied 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting, three rebounds and three assists in 22 minutes.
“We’re at a point right now where it’s all hands on deck,” Spoelstra said. “However, we can work this entire rotation to be a positive and keep on stacking up positives on the scoreboard. That’s what I’m looking for right now.”
Like Miami, Utah is seeking positives amid early-season struggles.
The Jazz dropped their eighth straight game, losing 115-100 to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday. Utah has struggled at both ends of the court. The Jazz have scored 100 or fewer points in four of their last five contests and haven’t held an opponent under 110 points through their first 10 games.
Injuries to starters Jaren Jackson Jr., Jusuf Nurkic, Lauri Markkanen and now Keyonte George have complicated Utah’s efforts to build momentum. Jackson, Nurkic and George have been ruled out for Tuesday, while Markkanen is questionable.
“We’re struggling to get over the hump right now,” Utah coach Will Hardy told the Ogden Standard-Examiner. “I’m seeing a bunch of areas from our team where we are improving. We’re in a tough moment right now with a lot of injuries, but we’re continuing to fight.”
Rookie Darryn Peterson provided a bright spot for Utah against Minnesota, scoring a career-high 26 points on 11-of-21 shooting, six rebounds, four assists and a steal.
The Jazz selected him with the No. 2 overall pick this summer, expecting Peterson to make an immediate impact on the floor. He has been inconsistent in his first 10 NBA games, but Hardy thinks the young guard might be turning a corner.
“I think it was his most comfortable game out there,” Hardy said. “It takes a big emotional battery to get through these games. And I think Darryn is showing that he has that.”
