In an ideal world, we would be talking about and celebrating Jusuf Nurkić’s third straight triple-double he posted Saturday night.
It’s the first time that a Utah (or New Orleans) Jazz player has ever logged three triple-doubles in a row and it’s truly impressive that he’s been battling illness the last two games and still managed to fill up the stat sheet.
But, while Nurkić was doing all that he could Saturday, there was a lack of effort and physicality from the rest of the Jazz when it came to grabbing rebounds that ended up giving the Miami Heat one of the most lopsided stats I’ve seen in a long time.
At halftime the Heat had 19 offensive rebounds and the Jazz had just two. By the end of the night the Heat had 26 offensive rebounds and the Jazz had seven. Overall, the Jazz were out-rebounded, 64-34.
Because of the Miami’s offensive rebounding efforts, they scored 23 second chance points and eventually beat the Jazz, 147-116.
“That was as big a physical loss as you can have,” Jazz head coach Will Hardy said. “Just got obliterated on the glass. You lose the glass by 30 and give up 26 offensive rebounds, there’s not really a pathway to winning in that game.”
Utah Jazz forward Kyle Anderson (2) shoots during the first half of an NBA game against the Miami Heat at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Miami Heat guard Norman Powell (24) shoots over Utah Jazz forward Cody Williams (5) during the first half of an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (3) reacts after missing a shot during the first half of an NBA game against the Miami Heat at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Utah Jazz forward Brice Sensabaugh (28) shoots over Miami Heat forward Simone Fontecchio (0) during the first half of an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Utah Jazz forward Brice Sensabaugh (28) is fouled by Miami Heat forward Myron Gardner (15) during the second half of an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy frowns during the first half of an NBA game against the Miami Heat at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (3) is introduced before an NBA game against the Miami Heat at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) warms up before an NBA game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (3) makes a heart for the crowd before an NBA game against the Miami Heat at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Utah Jazz center Jusuf Nurkic (30) drives to the basket past Miami Heat guard Kasparas Jakucionis (25) during the first half of an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Utah Jazz guard Svi Mykhailiuk (10) collects his breath during the first half of an NBA game against the Miami Heat at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Utah Jazz center Jusuf Nurkic (30) drives to the basket against Miami Heat forward Andrew Wiggins (22) during the first half of an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra looks on during the second half of an NBA game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Utah Jazz guard Walter Clayton Jr. (13) talks with head coach Will Hardy during a break in play during the first half of an NBA game against the Miami Heat at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Utah Jazz center Jusuf Nurkic (30) looks to pass the ball during the first half of an NBA game against the Miami Heat at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) dunks on Utah Jazz forward Cody Williams (5) during the first half of an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Miami Heat guard Kasparas Jakucionis (25) collects himself after getting injured during the second half of an NBA game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy talks with referee Derrick Collins (11) during the second half of an NBA game against the Miami Heat at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) blocks Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (3) during the second half of an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Miami Heat guard Kasparas Jakucionis (25) is helped off of the court after getting injured during the second half of an NBA game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Miami Heat guard Kasparas Jakucionis (25) drives to the basket against Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (3) during the second half of an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) drives to the basket against Utah Jazz center Jusuf Nurkic (30) during the second half of an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Utah Jazz center Jusuf Nurkic (30) checks out of the game after recording his third straight triple-double during the second half of an NBA game against the Miami Heat at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic (5) looks to dunk the ball during the second half of an NBA game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. (11) drives to the basket against Utah Jazz forward Kyle Filipowski (22) during the second half of an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) drives to the basket against Utah Jazz center Jusuf Nurkic (30) and guard Ace Bailey (19) during the second half of an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (3) and guard Ace Bailey (19) talk during the second half of an NBA game against the Miami Heat at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Fans react after Utah Jazz center Jusuf Nurkic (30), not pictured, grabbed his 10th rebound to complete his third straight triple-double during the second half of an NBA game against the Miami Heat at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
The shoes worn by Utah Jazz center Jusuf Nurkic (30) during an NBA game against the Miami Heat at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) looks on during warmups before an NBA game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. (11) looks on as he warms up before an NBA game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (3) moves the ball upcourt during the first half of an NBA game against the Miami Heat at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Utah Jazz center Jusuf Nurkic (30) grabs a rebound over Miami Heat forward Andrew Wiggins (22) during the first half of an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Miami Heat guard Norman Powell (24) drives to the basket against Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (3) during the first half of an NBA game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (3) drives to the basket during the second half of an NBA game against the Miami Heat at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Utah Jazz guard Ace Bailey (19) passes the ball during the first half of an NBA game against the Miami Heat at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
And Miami’s rebounding efforts are by design. Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra doesn’t have a specific philosophy on who should be crashing and who should be getting back to defend, but there is a mandate that nobody should be standing still.
“We want to make the efforts to go to the glass,” he said. “Anything that has to do with making multiple efforts. You can stand and watch, can stand and kind of shuffle back, or you can make an effort.”
The effort to crash is what keeps players on the court. It’s what proves they are willing to do more and want to contribute even in the not-so-glamourous moments, and the Heat players have bought in and tried lately to improve, especially in that area.
That’s something that goes for natural rebounders such as Bam Adebayo, but also for their smaller perimeter players.
“It’s so natural, especially for us perimeters, as shots go up to kind of drift back, so we’re just trying our best to focus on crashing at least to the elbows,” Dru Smith, who had four offensive rebounds said.
“Because those bounces, some of those balls that go over your head, if we can get to those and that can help our offense, then why not?”
Meanwhile, on the Jazz’s side of things, one bad thing led to another on Saturday night.
The Heat were racking up the boards, the Jazz were missing shots, then the score started to get away from them and before they knew it, there was a snowball effect of bad habits and poor choices.
“You get down, and the habits go south, and physicality totally went away,” Hardy said. “I felt like mentally, after the second quarter, it just felt like we were sort of dead.”
The Heat hadn’t had a game in which they’d logged 26 offensive rebounds since 1994, and Saturday’s game was just the eighth time in franchise history that they’ve had 26 or more offensive boards in a single game.
That’s the kind of stat and then final score that makes it nearly impossible for the team to celebrate an individual achievement. Nurkić only had one career triple-double prior to joining the Jazz and he’s now had three in the last week.
But a loss like this sullies the triple-double streak.
“That’s a hard one, because I recognize that statistical achievements in this league are important, and they indicate how special individuals can be in different moments,” Hardy said.
“I also think that there are times that individual achievements are highlighted in spite of the fact that you lose. While Nurk is playing really good basketball, we just lost by 30.”