Miami ? They must have spent too much time out in the sun at the Coconut Grove the last two days. It was the only explanation, after all, that even seemed plausible for the collapse the Jazz suffered at the end of regulation and in the first overtime Saturday afternoon.
For the sixth consecutive season, the Jazz came to AmericanAirlines Arena and left with a loss to the Miami Heat. This one might have been as excruciating as the previous five combined, with the Jazz falling 140-129 in the second triple-overtime game in their history. It took 3 hours, 6 minutes to play, a full 63 minutes of Basketball, but there was no escaping the reality that the Jazz let a sure victory slip away. They handed back both a seven-point lead in the final minute of regulation and an eight-point lead in the first overtime.
"We did a how-to on how to lose a Basketball game pretty much," said Deron Williams, who had 30 points and 13 assists.
"We should've won the game an hour ago," added Kyle Korver, who scored a season-high 25 points off the bench.
Dwyane Wade matched his career-high with 50 points -- 14 in the three overtimes -- and passed Alonzo Mourning as Miami's all-time leading scorer in the third quarter. Wade hit 19 of 39 shots, including four three-pointers, along with 10 rebounds and nine assists.
In the end, Jazz couldn't close out a victory in the bank, and lost for only the third time in their last 18 games. They were outscored 15-4 in the third overtime, but that paled in comparison to their earlier demise, which left them alternately stunned and shaken.
The Jazz led 107-100 heading into the final minute of regulation before Mario Chalmers hit two free throws with 55.2 seconds left. Instead of working the clock with a five-point lead, Andrei Kirilenko attacked the basket and bowled over Jamario Moon for a charge.
While Kirilenko acknowledged, "It wasn't probably the smart play," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan was blunt in his assessment. "They were the ones that should have been desperate," Sloan said, "but we were desperate to get points for ourselves."
"That's not what we teach them to do -- take the ball and run over somebody," Sloan added. For his part, Williams said, "I don't know what we were thinking about. I'm trying to get the ball back."
The Heat closed to 107-104 after Udonis Haslem dunked off a Wade pass. At the other end, Paul Millsap tried to dunk on Jermaine O'Neal but was blocked, with the Jazz again taking only a handful of seconds off the clock.
"You've got to bring the Basketball out and make them foul you," Sloan said. "We just gave it to them, and then they got every call down on the other end of the floor, got them back in the ball game, on the offensive boards."
The miscues spread like chicken pox the rest of the game. Chalmers missed a potential tying three-pointer, but James Jones was fouled on the rebound by Korver and made the first of two free throws to make it 107-105.
Even as Jones missed the second free throw, Millsap lost the rebound off his foot out-of-bounds. Wade missed a point-blank drive, but Kirilenko fouled out going after the rebound, putting Jones back at the line to tie the game with 3.9 seconds left.
The Jazz still had their chances, starting with Williams, who missed a 20-footer over Wade at the buzzer. They went into overtime and took a 115-107 lead as Mehmet Okur hit a three-pointer and Korver followed with a three-pointer and 17-footer.
But the Jazz might as well have entrusted their life savings in Bernie Madoff's hands. While Wade was hitting jumpers and driving for layups, Korver was called for an offensive foul and Chalmers stripped Williams on a crossover, then dove after the ball.
Haslem went up for a dunk, but was fouled and converted two free throws to tie the score at 115-115. Carlos Boozer missed a 15-footer over O'Neal with 5.6 seconds left in the first overtime, giving the Heat the chance to win.
Even then, the Jazz survived not once but twice. Wade, whose buzzer-beater kissed off the rim and sank the Jazz last season in Miami, missed potential winning jumpers to end both the first and second overtimes.
That forced a third overtime, but the Jazz were spent. O'Neal (28 points) spun on Okur for a layup that put the Heat ahead 129-127, then Williams had a drive blocked and his dribble stolen from behind as Miami pulled away for good.
"We've had some real unlucky games down here, but to their credit they took advantage of them," Boozer said, adding, "If you don't take advantage of your opportunities, the other team most likely will."
rsiler@sltrib.com Storylines
In short ? The Jazz collapse at the end of regulation and the first overtime in losing to Miami in triple overtime.
Key moment ? Instead of holding the ball, Andrei Kirilenko bowls over Jamario Moon for a charge with 50.1 seconds left in regulation.
Key stat ? The Jazz's only previous triple-overtime game was a Feb. 3, 1992 victory over Chicago.
