The Utah Jazz’s calendar might’ve labeled the early-January back-to-back in Florida as a “road trip,” but a quick glance at Brice Sensabaugh’s box scores would leave one to believe that he certainly made himself at home. Sizzling enough during his 20-point fourth quarter to urge his sidelined supporters from their seats, the Utah Jazz’s second-year bucket-getter entertains the idea of a quite-ironic “heat check,” using a between-the-leg size-up to test Josh Christopher’s defensive focus. With teammates jumping in celebration before his audacious stepback even connects with the orange-painted cylinder, Sensabaugh leaves behind no disappointments, putting exclamation to his breakout performance through a 31-footer. It quickly became the type of night the postseason-hopeful Miami Heat aspired to forget, as Utah — eight-and-a-half-point underdogs upon entry — cruised to a dominant 36-point blowout win. Sensabaugh opened 2025’s calendar year brilliantly, running up a career-best 34 points (on 12-of-18 shooting), joined by seven rebounds, two assists, two steals, and seven 3-pointers, followed by a 27-point rainstorm against “The Sunshine State’s” other franchise a night later. · Jan 5, 2025