Jusuf Nurkic made Utah Jazz history in a blowout loss to the Miami Heat.
No Jazz player has ever recorded three consecutive triple-doubles until tonight. Jusuf Nurkic, who was visibly gassed at the end of the game, stayed in despite the Utah Jazz being down by about 30 points. In the final minutes, he grabbed his tenth rebound, securing his third straight game with at least ten points, ten rebounds, and ten assists.
While Nurkic made some fun history, the Utah Jazz played one of their worst games as a team against the Heat. The Miami Heat absolutely dominated the glass all game long. Miami had 64 total rebounds to Utah’s 34, and 26 of the 64 for Miami were offensive rebounds. It was hard to watch, to say the least. The Jazz also shot a mediocre 7/25 from three-point land and just looked flat out there. Brice Sensabaugh shot 4/7 from three, leading the team with 23 points. Standout star Keyonte George couldn’t find any rhythm tonight, going 0/8 behind the three-point line.
Ace Bailey continues to add to his rookie season highlight reel, and Cody Williams keeps proving why he belongs in the NBA with his standout defense, tallying three blocks and a steal. Lauri Markkanen remains out (return-to-competition reconditioning). People can argue about what’s actually going on here, but having Lauri sit and letting the young guys develop—even if the results are tough like they were tonight—will only benefit the Utah Jazz moving toward the future.
This Utah Jazz team is young, fun, and inconsistent. Forty-six games into the season with 36 remaining, the Jazz will have to learn how to avoid nights like tonight—especially with next season approaching, when they should finally be ready to start competing. Nights like this show why the Jazz need to focus on keeping their 2026 pick and ignore anyone hoping for a play-in run. Despite Keyonte George ascending right before our eyes and Markkanen playing at an All-NBA level, the Jazz are not ready… yet.
Will Hardy needs to continue prioritizing the youth and letting them find the consistency required to win in the NBA. The Jazz started off decent tonight against Miami, but as the game went on it got worse and worse. Miami might be one of the most “mid” teams in the NBA, and they still rolled over the Jazz in Salt Lake City.
The Utah Jazz still remain firmly at No. 6 in the lottery standings at 15–31. It’ll be tough for them to move up, but not impossible. Tonight wasn’t just historic for Nurkić—it also marked a huge night from a college basketball freshman, who posted insane numbers. If the Jazz keep their top-8 protected pick, they’ll guarantee themselves a high-level prospect regardless of whether the team moves up.
The Miami Heat won tonight 147–116, but the Jazz still appear to be building toward a successful 2025–2026 season despite the blowout.
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