With a dominant second half, the Utah Jazz defeat the Miami Heat

The Utah Jazz were down 1 at halftime but then dominated the second half to beat the Miami Heat, 84-65.

Elijah Hughes looked best for the Jazz in the first half hitting 3 of 4 from the field. Now in his second game back from concussion protocols, it was nice to see Hughes put up an efficient scoring performance ending the game with 17 points and going 5/8 overall.

Trent Forrest looked great again in this one. He led the team in scoring tonight with 19 points and shot 8/12 from the field. Forrest gets to the rim really well and has great touch. Because he’s such a good facilitator it’s a really tough guard. Whether it’s making a push shot, throwing a lob, or kicking out to open shooters, good things happen when the ball is in Forrest’s hands. He’s one of the major reasons this Jazz summer league team is still undefeated.

The performance of the night had to go to Udoka Azubuike. Dok had a second half where he completely took over the game. Whether it was blocking/contesting shots at the rim or dunking the ball on offense, he was the best player on the floor.

Dok’s game is more than just cramming it on people. He has great hands and if he gets a good pass around the basket it is very unlikely he’s not making it. Whether it’s a devastating smash or a soft hook, Dok knows how to get the points on the board. He ended the game 8/8 from the field with 18 points and 9 rebounds. It’s not just offense for Dok either. He is contesting shots at the rim and taking away space from offenses. He has a knack for taking away space and forcing opponents into difficult shots. If they decide to challenge him he protects the rim really well. Tonight he had 1 block but the night before he had 6. It’s time to start considering him one of the top performers in the summer league.

The other player that played great was Jarrell Brantley. In the second half he was knocking down threes and playing great defense. Brantley has so many great physical tools and it was nice to see him using them better and better. There were times the Jazz had him as the primary facilitor and he did a solid job. Sometimes it’s hard to tell just how effective he is at those things, especially when he's on the floor with sub-par teammates but he looked good handling and getting the offense flowing. Brantley is making himself look more and more like an NBA rotation player, he just needs to keep improving.

Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images

The Utah Jazz are now 3-0 in Las Vegas and look very poised to win the whole league. If they keep up this level they have to be one of the favorites. Their ability to score on a Forrest/Dok pick and roll surrounded by players like Jarrell Brantley and Elijah Hughes make them a tough team to stop. Combine that with their size, and rim protection from Azuibuike, this is a team that should bring Utah a summer league title.