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MIAMI — The Utah Jazz picked up their first road win since beating the New York Knicks in mid-November, courtesy of a 105-87 win over the Miami Heat Wednesday night.
Utah took a 33-16 first-quarter lead and never looked back. The win came a night after Utah blew a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter against New Orleans, but the Jazz kept the lead this time, matching Miami in the fourth quarter.
The game featured a variety of subplots, including a Trevor Booker ejection, but there were a few instant observations that rose to the top.
Hayward broke out of a recent shooting slump by scoring 29 points in the Jazz win. He made 9-of-13 shots, including 4-of-5 3-pointers. He also contributed six rebounds and seven assists. When Hayward plays well, Utah’s chances of winning go up exponentially.
The last time Utah shot 50 percent or above, it beat the San Antonio Spurs. A week before Christmas Eve, Utah shot 53 percent and beat the Heat. Utah also shot 56 percent from behind the three-point arc, making 14-of-25 3-pointers. Statistics like that are always tough to beat.
Miami missed Chris Bosh, giving Wade free reign to score as often as he wanted. Wade scored 42 points, but the next highest-scoring starter was Luol Deng with eight points. The Heat shot 38.6 percent from the field.