Sensabaugh, Jazz Thrash Vulnerable Heat
Jan 4, 2025, 9:23 PM | Updated: Jan 6, 2025, 2:37 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz blew out the Miami Heat 136-100 to snap a five-game losing streak.
Jazz sophomore Brice Sensabaugh scored a career-high 34 points while the Heat were led by Nikola Jovic’s 17 points.
The Heat were playing without the suspended Jimmy Butler who has been suspended by the team after requesting a trade.
Game Blog: Jazz Steamroll Miami
Sensabaugh Shines Off Bench For Jazz
With Jordan Clarkson exiting the game after the first period due to ongoing plantar fasciitis, the Jazz needed a spark off the bench and found it on a career night from Brice Sensabaugh.
The 20-year-old picked apart Miami’s defense with a variety of strong drives to paint, and red-hot three-point shooting, connecting on 7-11 attempts from downtown.
“He’s a good shooter, he’s a good ball handler, he’s a good passer, and the work that he’s doing speeding up his reads is allowing him to make more plays every night,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said.
Just 59 games into his career, Sensabaugh has begun to carve out a role for himself at the NBA level as a high-scoring second-unit player who bullies smaller defenders with his excellent frame and can get extremely hot from the three-point line.
🧊 𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗥-𝗛𝗜𝗚𝗛 𝗡𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 🧊#PerformanceLeader presented by @UofUHealth pic.twitter.com/Q3SUC6QhUW
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 5, 2025
The guard’s development, while not critical for the Jazz’s future success, is a nice bonus considering the circumstances of how he landed in Utah, and the minutes he’s filling off the bench.
The Jazz selected Sensabaugh with the 28th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, a selection they acquired in exchange for veteran role player Royce O’Neale.
While O’Neale’s age didn’t match the Jazz’s rebuilding timeline, he was still an NBA-level contributor, so extending his value as an asset in Sensabaugh is good work from the team’s front office.
As a rookie, Sensbaugh spent the beginning of his first season in the G League as the Jazz sought to develop then-sophomore Ochai Agbaji.
At the 2024 trade deadline, the Jazz sent Agbaji and Kelly Olynyk to the Toronto Raptors for a first-round pick, and to clear room for Sensabaugh to see the floor, a gamble considering Agbaji’s age, and Sensabaugh’s inexperience.
While Agbaji has turned into a solid starter for the Raptors, Sensabaugh’s performance against Miami is a reminder of what the Jazz hoped they were clearing room for in the trade.
John Collins Size Helps Jazz Smother Heat Frontcourt
With Walker Kessler, Lauri Markkanen, and John Collins on the roster, the Jazz have one of the bigger, more versatile frontcourts in the NBA.
But with Collins missing the Jazz’s last five games with a hip injury, the team’s starting unit struggled to find its footing against opposing rosters.
Collins returned to the Jazz on Saturday night, and after a clunky 1-7 shooting performance in the first quarter, made his presence known against the Heat.
“I had a little bit of a rough start,” Collins said, “but my teammates and everybody continued to encourage me and I personally figured it out.”
It was a good night to have ya back, @jcollins20_ 🥰#PlayerHighlights presented by @zionsbank pic.twitter.com/5Gjz6xqGvc
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 5, 2025
Collins shot 8-9 from the floor over the final three quarters, including 2-2 from the three-point line en route to a 24 point, nine rebound, three assist, three block outing in his return to the floor.
Furthermore, he eased the burden on third-year center Walker Kessler to focus on his game, bouncing back from six point, eight rebound outing against the New York Knicks with a 14 point, 16 rebound double-double in Miami.
“John coming back, I think, really made his teammates’ life easier,” Hardy added.
While Collins struggles defensively on the perimeter, he’s an effective rim protector, and when paired with Kessler, gives the Jazz a definitive size advantage most nights.
With the Heat relying on 6-foot-9 Bam Adebayo as their starting center, the Jazz easily controlled the game on the glass, winning the rebounding battle 57-32, and outscoring Miami 21-6 on second-chance points.
Jazz Face Quick Turnaround Against Magic
After thrashing the Heat, the Jazz will have little time for rest as they face the Orlando Magic on Sunday evening.
The Magic are playing without frontcourt starters Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner who are both sidelined indefinitely with oblique injuries, and reserve center Mo Wagner who is out of the year with a knee injury.
Jalen Suggs will also miss Sunday’s game due to a back injury suffered in the Magic’s 106-97 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night.
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While the Magic have held onto the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference despite the slew of injuries, they are just 4-6 in their last 10 games.
Though the Jazz will travel to Orlando on the second night of back-to-back games, the team should be relatively well-rested.
Collin Sexton was the only Jazz player to cross the 30-minute threshold in Miami, while starters Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler, and Keyonte George all played just 26 minutes, including a combined 2:35 in the fourth quarter.
Utah Jazz Next Broadcast
The Jazz will travel to face the Orlando Magic on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. MST. The game will be televised on KJZZ, streamed on Jazz+, and heard on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone.
Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops, on Instagram @BensHoops, or on BlueSky.
