The Miami Heat defeated the host Utah Jazz on Thursday, 111 - 110. It was a much - needed and narrow win for Miami (7 - 12), as the team had been sitting at 13th in the Eastern Conference. Thursday's win came in dramatic fashion, with the game remaining a matter of single digits until the very end. It was an off night for center Hassan Whiteside, who shot just 4 - of - 11 for nine points, but it was a strong showing for recently - returned point guard Goran Dragic. Dragic led the team with 27 points and had six assists on the night. The Heat have seen strong bench play recently, as was the case on Thursday. Bench forward James Johnson delivered 24 points on 11 - of - 15 shooting, while bench guard Wayne Ellington had 17 points on 6 - of - 9. The Jazz (11 - 9), meanwhile, had won four straight contests heading into Thursday, but have been decimated by injuries. Star forward Derrick Favors remains out indefinitely with a knee injury, while starters George Hill and Rodney Hood were both forced to sit out Thursday's contest with minor injuries of their own. Star Gordon Hayward, who had just recently returned from another injury, led the team with 32 points. Veteran Joe Johnson added another 18. It was an impressive offensive night for Utah despite missing key components. The Jazz shot 54 percent from the field and hit 17 three - pointers on 56 percent from beyond the arc. Ultimately, the Jazz lost narrowly in part due to recording only 31 rebounds and forcing just six Miami turnovers. The Jazz will host the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, while the Heat will visit Portland.
["TeamStat(G,'Jazz') has 9 Losses ,has 110 Total points ,has 31 Rebounds ,has 11 Turnovers ."
 "TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 12 Losses ,has 111 Total points ,has 6 Rebounds ,has 7 Turnovers ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Hassan Whiteside') has 11 Assists ,has 4 Field goals attempted ,has 9 Field goals made ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Goran Dragic') has 6 Assists ,has 27 Field goals attempted ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Wayne Ellington') has 9 Assists ,has 6 Field goals attempted ,has 17 Field goals made ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'James Johnson') has 15 Assists ,has 11 Field goals attempted ,has 24 Field goals made ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Joe Johnson') has 18 Assists ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Gordon Hayward') has 32 Assists ."]