Hortons coach Craig Jackson couldnt help but have a dig at Sun

SALT LAKE CITY -- The Miami Heat have been one of the worst offensive teams in the league this season, ranked No. 27 in points per game. Offense, however, wasnt an issue Thursday night.Goran Dragic scored 27 points and the Heat continued to play better on the road with a 111-110 victory over the Utah Jazz.James Johnson scored a season-high 24 points off the bench and Wayne Ellington added 17 for the Heat, who have five of their seven wins on the road.That is a good defense to be able to do that against, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. Sometimes you need great players to make bigger plays against a good defense. That is what those guys are doing. Getting a little more organized offensively, the guys are getting a little more confident in their roles and simplify a bit.The Jazz had the ball with 3.9 seconds remaining and Gordon Hayward missed a contested midrange jumper before time expired.The Heat attacked the rim relentlessly throughout the game to score 64 points in the paint. The Jazz allowed a season-high 58 points in the paint to the Heat in mid-November.Hayward scored a season-high 32 points and added seven assists. Joe Johnson chipped in 18 points as the Jazz lost despite knocking down a franchise-record 17 3-pointers in 30 attempts.A 6-0 run to start the fourth quarter gave the Heat a 12-point lead and Miami barely hung on the rest of the way.It takes grit, Ellington said. It takes toughness and that is what we showed all night long.The Heat took a 52-48 lead into halftime thanks to a 19-2 run highlighted by eight points from Ellington. The Jazz answered with a 12-2 stretch to close the half.The Jazz came into the game allowing just 38.9 points per game in the paint, tied for No. 4 in the league.We were soft at the beginning of the game, Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. We didnt deserve to win the game. Miami outplayed us. By the time we woke up defensively, it was late and we had to expend a lot of energy. We lacked physicality, particularly in the first half.TIP-INSHeat: Josh Richardson did not travel due to a sprained right ankle. ... Dion Waiters missed his third consecutive game with a pectineus (groin) tear. ... Luke Babbit left the game in the second quarter with a right hip flexor and did not return.Jazz: George Hill did not play due to a sprained left big toe. ... Rodney Hood did not play due to hamstring injury. ... Joe Johnson, Boris Diaw and Dante Exum all started due to injuries. ... Snyder believed there should have been more than 3.9 seconds left for the final possession.DANTES INFERNOExum returned to the starting lineup with Hill out despite seeing the floor little recently. Exum had played less than nine minutes in the previous four games, including not playing at all Monday. Snyder said Exum isnt playing as much after starting 41 games as a rookie, in part, due to an improved roster. Still, Exum has struggled this season.Hes probably tired of me talking to him, Snyder said. You cant talk to a player every time theres any kind of change. ... By and large Id like to think our guys have a clear understanding of what we want from them individually and how that fits into what were trying to do as a team.Dantes going through some things right now that are akin to what a lot of people go through as a rookie. ... People just need to be patient and understand who he is and where he is. In a lot of ways hes better than he was his rookie year.QUOTABLEEverything weve been doing defensively, as far as executing our game plan, we didnt do tonight, Hayward said. You see what happened because of that. That has to be our calling card. It wasnt at all tonight.UP NEXTHeat: Miami travels to face an underachieving Trail Blazers team featuring Damon Lillard.Jazz: Utah hosts the Nuggets on Saturday. The teams have split their first two meetings this season. 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Varlamov made 33 saves and Ryan OReilly had a goal and scored in the shootout as the Avalanche beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 on Thursday night. Sun Yangs controversial Rio Olympic campaign is over and Australian Mack Hortons camp has given him a sendoff.Hortons coach Craig Jackson couldnt help but have a dig at Sun, saying the best eight made Saturdays nights 1500m freestyle final (1121 AEST Sunday). after the defending champion failed to qualify.Horton is tipped to provide an ailing Australian swimming team a welcome boost by claiming 1500m gold after Chinas Sun sensationally flopped in Fridays heats.Horton, 20, qualified fourth fastest.Sun had boasted that he was King of 1500m at Rio.But the world record holder couldnt even make the final after being 16th fastest in the heats.Whether he was there or not, he was not a distraction, Jackson said of Sun.Then he added: The best eight swimmers are through to the final.Horton sparked controversy when he called his 400-metre freestyle triumph over Sun as a win for the good guys.He also dismissed the Chinese swimmer as a drug cheat, starting a growing chorus at the Rio pool for doping offenders to be allowed at the Olympics.Sun served a doping suspension in 2014.While Jacksons jibe hardly compares to Hortons criticism, there is clearly no love lost between the pair.Not that Horton himself was letting on.ddddddddddddIt doesnt really matter if hes there or not, to be honest, Horton said.Im just doing my own thing.Hortons crack at Sun triggered a chorus of support from swimmers including American legend Michael Phelps criticising the presence of past drug cheats at Rios Games.Chinas Olympic officials also demanded Horton apologise, a request roundly rejected by Australian hierarchy.Asked on Friday if he was surprised by the furore, Horton replied: Probably not.I dont know. Im not really paying that much attention to it, he said.The Olympic village is kind of like a bubble and you just stick to your own sort of thing in your little tower.Suns time of 15:01.97 was more than 30 seconds off his record set at the London Olympics.Sun said he had been battling illness since his 200-metre freestyle gold medal triumph on Monday night.I was afraid of catching a fever and affecting my other races so I had no choice but to increase the dosage, he said.I didnt expect my bodys condition and skill to deteriorate so quickly. ' ' '