Injuries again at issue for Heat in 117-109 loss in Utah, despite solid Adebayo, Herro nights

With rotation attrition again a factor, the Miami Heat turned what had set up as the easiest stop on this five-game trip into something far different Saturday night.

In again losing Jimmy Butler to injury, the Heat this time found themselves ending 2023 with a rude awakening against a Utah Jazz team that entered 13-19.

With former Heat forward Kelly Olynyk tormenting with his how-slow-can-you-go post play, the Heat’s four-game winning streak turned into a 117-109 loss at the Delta Center.

While the loss of Butler with an injured right foot limited the Heat options with an already depleted rotation, coach Erik Spoelstra said this was about more than one player going out.

“I mean obviously we want him out there, but we had our opportunities,” Spoelstra said. “That would discredit what Utah did in the second half. We just never were able to contain them off the bounce, regardless of what the action was.”

With turnovers a problem early and defense an issue late, the Heat fell despite 28 points and 16 rebounds from center Bam Adebayo and 25 points from guard Tyler Herro.

Olynyk closed with 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Jazz, who outscored the Heat 60-20 in the paint.

“KO was really good in the first half,” Spoelstra said, “and then in the second half, even if he wasn’t necessarily scoring a ton, he was bringing our defense down, he was collapsing our defense.”

The Heat had 10 first-half turnovers, closing with 16. Then, in the fourth quarter, they allowed 6-of-10 Utah 3-point shooting, which effectively decided it.

“Offensively, it was disjointed,” Spoelstra said. “But still, if we brought a better defensive game, I think we would have been in a better position to win in a tough environment and a tough place on the road. We just weren’t able to get it together,”

The Heat’s trip continues with games against the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns.

As has been the case practically all season, it again becomes a case of an injury watch for the Heat, with forward Haywood Highsmith exiting late after taking a blow to the head. He immediately was escorted to the locker room.

“We’ve been in situations like this before,” Adebayo said. “We’ve had guys out. For us, we have a deep bench. I feel like we can win any game with whoever is out there.”

Five Degrees of Heat from Saturday night’s game:

1. Closing time: The Heat led 28-27 after the opening period, trailed 54-53 at halftime, with it then tied 88-88 going into the fourth.

In a game neither team led by more than six through the first three periods, the Jazz then went ahead 105-99 with 4:21 to play on an Olynyk jumper, with a Keyonte George 3-pointer extending Utah’s lead to 108-100 with 3:42 remaining.

“We just could not put together consecutive stops in a row,” Spoelstra said.

The Heat then worked their way back within 108-104 with 2:41 to play, when Highsmith made a pair of free throws, only to see George convert another 3-pointer for a 111-106 Utah lead.

A turnover on a night of Heat turnovers followed, with Jazz forward Lauri Markannen then effectively putting it away with a 3-pointer with 1:53 to play.

“We weren’t really getting into the ball and we weren’t really getting stops,” Adebayo said.

2. Butler returns, leaves: Butler was back after missing four games with a calf strain — and then back out, going to the locker room with 6:03 to play in the third period with a game-ending foot injury, after colliding with a driving Collin Sexton on a foul he committed against Sexton.

Earlier, Butler had taken a cautious approach in the offense, not attempting his first shot, a missed 19-foot jumper, until 3:14 remained in the second quarter.

Butler’s first points in 12 days did not come until an 11-foot jumper with 1:39 left in the first half, on his second attempt of the game, with only those two shots in the first half.

Herro and Adebayo had attempted a combined 15 shots before Butler’s first attempt.

Saturday was just the eighth time this season the Heat had Butler, Herro and Adebayo together in the same game, with Herro (ankle) and Adebayo (hip) having dealt with extended absences this season.

Butler wound up limited to 22:52, with eight points, two rebounds and an assist, a 2 of 3 from the field and 4 of 4 from the line.

Herro agreed that Butler’s absence was not an excuse.

“We had enough to get it done,” Herro said. “We won four straight before that. So that’s not an excuse. We should have won the game.”

3. Two-man game: With Butler again out, it again turned into a two-man game for the Heat, with Herro and Adebayo each with 23 points entering the fourth quarter, Adebayo already with a double-double at that stage.

Adebayo was particularly aggressive, closing 14 of 20 from the line, also with three steals and three blocked shots.

To Adebayo, empty numbers.

“I feel like we got to be locked in more from the jump,” he said.

On a night the Heat struggled to a 9-of-31 finish on 3-pointers, Herro closed 2 of 7 from beyond the arc.

“We just got to be better,” Herro said.

4. Jovic’s foul start: In a somewhat unexpected lineup twist, Nikola Jovic got his second start of the season and 10th of his two-year career, with the 6-foot-10 2022 first-round pick out of Serbia in the opening lineup along with Butler, Adebayo, Herro and RJ Hampton.

Jovic’s previous start this season was the Oct. 28 road loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, when Butler, Caleb Martin, Kevin Love, Highsmith and Josh Richardson were out.

While Jovic made his first two shots, a pair of 3-pointers, fouling remains an issue, forced to the bench with his fifth foul just 3:17 into the third quarter, after just 9:50 of action, not returning.

5. Another lineup: With Kyle Lowry missing a second consecutive game after taking a knee to the head on Monday night, RJ Hampton got his second consecutive start, but was replaced at the start of the second half by Highsmith.

In addition to being without Lowry, the Heat also were without Martin (ankle) and Richardson (back).

Shuffled out of the rotation until late in the third period was second-year Jamal Cain, a game after the forward on a two-way contract tied his career high with 18 points in Thursday night’s victory over the Golden State Warriors. Cain played 10:37, finishing with six points on 3-of-4 shooting.

Hampton’s action was limited to his initial 8:06 stint.