Before things really came to a head with Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat, team president Pat Riley sat down for a lengthy interview with Dan Le Batard. The episode, released on Thursday, includes Riley's answer to what he's learned and how things are different in the player empowerment era.

On the day an interview with Miami Heat President Pat Riley dropped regarding dealing with player empowerment, further clarity was offered regarding the ongoing team suspension of forward Jimmy Butler.

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.

The Phoenix Suns have covered the point spread in only 14 of 37 games, which is an NBA-worst .378 cover percentage.

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