Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat's drama keeps growing with the All.-star forward not backing down from confrontation after he requested a trade from the team he's been on since the

Down five at the end of the second quarter, the Jazz now have the lead. A win is still up for grabs for either team after three quarters, but the Jazz are up 80-77 over the Heat. This match is far closer than the pair's previous matchup, which was decided by 36 points.

The Utah Jazz (9-26) welcome the Miami Heat (18-17) to Delta Center in Salt Lake City Thursday. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. ET. Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's NBA odds around the Heat vs. Jazz odds a

NBA trade deadline less than a month away, the Miami Heat reportedly aren't getting any closer to trading disgruntled star forward

As Jimmy Butler awaits a trade from the Miami Heat, he believes he still has plenty to give to a team willing to strike a deal for him. In fact,

For a long time, Butler was also linked with teams like the Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets and plenty of others. But those links are starting to fade away as the 35-year-old inches closer to the Miami exit door.

The Jazz don’t offer much resistance on defense, allowing 118.5 points per game, a Bottom-5 mark in the NBA. It’s been even worse during this home slide, if you can believe it, as Utah is giving up 120.6 points per game, with teams shooting 48.5% from the field and 36.7% from 3-point range.

This affiliate content is not influenced by our advertising relationships, but AP and Data Skrive might earn commissions from our partners’ links in this content.

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler might be more selective than he led people to believe as he attempts to engineer an exit from South Florida. NBA insider

Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal had another impressive outing off the bench on Thursday, going for 25 points and seven rebounds on 11 of 16 from the field in a win over the Atlanta Hawks. That was Beal's second 25-point outing since he was removed from the starting lineup earlier this month.

On the one hand, former NBA All-Star Blake Griffin disagrees with how embattled Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler has handled potentially finding a new home. Then