Jusuf Nurkic continues his triple-double streak in the loss to the Heat

The Utah Jazz lost 147-116 to the Miami Heat on Saturday at the Delta Center, falling to 1-2 in their current matchup. In an otherwise terrible outing, the veterans center Jusuf Nurkic was the only bright spot for Utah, which made history by recording its own third consecutive triple-double. He became the first player in franchise history to achieve such a streak. In 31 minutes on the field, Nurkic recorded 17 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists, plus a steal and a block.

Nurkic had a 16-18-10 triple-double against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday, the second by a Jazz player in 16 years and the first since Jordan Clarkson in 2024. He then followed that up with a 14-assist triple-double vs. the San Antonio Spurs, Utah’s first Petdo Mar-back since Petdo Mar first guard. New Orleans

Saturday’s performance gave the 31-year-old his fourth career triple-double, with three coming in the past week alone, putting him among a rare group of NBA players to have back-to-back triple-doubles. Nurkic is one of only three players this season, along with Nikola Jokic and Jaylen Johnson, who have achieved three consecutive triple-doubles. His feat moved him into a tie with Andrei Kirilenko and Karl Malone for the third-most triple-doubles in jazz history, behind only Pete Maravich (7) and Mark Eaton (6). In 36 games this season, the Bosnian giant is averaging 11.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.3 blocks in 26.5 minutes.

As good as Nurkic was on Saturday, Utah struggled collectively, especially on the boards. Miami took a huge rebounding advantage, 64-34, with 26 offensive boards that turned into 23 points off the second-chance play. It was just the eighth time in franchise history that the Heat recorded 26 or more offensive boards in a game.

The Jazz’s poor shooting only made their situation worse. Utah made just seven of 25 attempts from three-point range, including an 0-for-8 outing by Keionta George and an 0-for-5 performance by Ace Bailey. Brice Sensabo led the team with 23 points off the bench. Đorđe and Nurkić scored 19 and 17 points, respectively. Only Sensabaugh hit from downtown, making the Jazz’s problems even more apparent against a Miami defense that typically allows 14.1 3-pointers per game

Utah held its own early, trailing 35-34 after the first quarter and the Heat shooting just 39 percent from the field. However, thanks to their control of the offensive glass, Miami took a 73-52 lead into the break. The Jazz tried to rally in the third quarter, shooting 61.5 percent from the field and scoring 37 points, but the Heat were held to 19 points in the fourth. Utah’s shooting in the final quarter dropped to 29.2 percent, allowing Miami to extend its lead to 29 points before the final buzzer.

The Jazz will look to rebound on Tuesday night when they host the Los Angeles Clippers.