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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
MIAMI (AP) -- The Miami Heat's defense always seems to make the
difference.
|  | | Alonzo Mourning, left, tries to push past the defense of Utah's Olden Polynice. |
Alonzo Mourning had 17 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks -- including one in the final seconds -- to lead the Miami Heat to a
74-72 win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night.
Mourning blocked Bryon Russell's drive to the basket with 13 seconds remaining and John Stockton missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer, giving the Heat their second win in the last five games and
ending Utah's eight-game winning streak in Miami.
The Jazz lost for the third time in the last four games as they wrapped up a seven-game road trip.
Both teams recorded season lows for points.
"For the most part, when it comes down to it, the difference is going to be our defense," Mourning said. "It's going to have to be somewhat of a crutch for us."
Especially with Tim Hardaway and Jamal Mashburn sidelined with injuries.
Hardaway missed his 13th straight game with a jammed right knee,
and Mashburn -- the Heat's second-leading scorer at 18 points per
game -- sat out with sprained left ankle.
Anthony Carter scored 16 points and had five assists and P.J.
Brown had 14 for the Heat.
"You always hear players talking about stepping up, and
sometimes you have to define what that means," Miami coach Pat
Riley said. "Stepping up doesn't always mean offensively."
The Heat held the Jazz to just 13 points in the fourth quarter,
and Utah committed 20 turnovers in the game.
Miami trailed 71-70 when Voshon Lenard hit a jumper in the lane
to give the Heat the lead. The Jazz tied it with a free throw by Jeff Hornacek off an illegal defense call against the Heat.
Lenard, who scored 11 points, drove past Hornacek with 50
seconds to play to put Miami ahead 74-72.
Karl Malone led the Jazz with 21 points and eight rebounds.
Stockton was held to just 2-of-7 shooting and six points.
"I don't know if the Heat defense is that good," Hornacek
said. "We had some shots and missed them. We didn't execute as
much as we did in the first half. They probably did a great job,
but I wasn't concerned about their defense as much as us executing
and only scoring 30 points in the second half."
The Heat, who trailed 40-34 at halftime, went on a 13-3 run to take a 51-49 lead with about four minutes to play in the quarter.
Brown, who scored just two points in the first half, started the
spurt and scored four points in the stretch. Dan Majerle's 3-pointer gave the Heat a 51-49 lead.
Though Miami led by as many as five points at 63-58, the lead
alternated back and forth for the remainder of the game.
Game notes
Hardaway said he will not practice for the next 10 days
because of soreness in his right knee. He has not played since Nov. 23. The Heat improved to 9-4 without Hardaway. ... Utah wrapped up a seven-game Eastern road trip with a 4-3 record. ... Hornacek made both of his free-throw attempts, improving his league-leading season total to 80-of-82 (98 percent). ... The Heat, who improved to 9-3 at home, tied a franchise-low with six free-throw attempts.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Utah Clubhouse
Miami Clubhouse
RECAPS
Boston 98
Atlanta 81
Orlando 103
Cleveland 97
New York 91
Toronto 90
Miami 74
Utah 72
Minnesota 106
Chicago 86
LA Clippers 103
Golden State 99
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