Takeaways from the Heat’s win over the Rockets to begin trip, and the latest on Tyler Herro
Just minutes before tip-off on Thursday night, the Miami Heat learned guard Tyler Herro would not play because of the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
How did the Heat (11-14) respond to that unexpected news it received? By defeating the Houston Rockets 101-94 at Toyota Center to extend its winning streak to four and begin its seven-game trip with a victory.
The seven-game stretch away from home is the Heat’s longest trip since 2009, and it’s tied for the longest road trip in franchise history.
The Rockets led 53-47 at halftime, with the Heat’s offense struggling in the first two quarters. Miami shot just 34.9 percent from the field and 4 of 22 on threes in the first half.
But the Heat’s offense came alive and the Rockets’ offense did not in the third quarter, and that proved to be the difference in the game.
Miami outscored Houston 28-10 in the third quarter behind 52.6 percent shooting from the field and 7-of-12 shooting on threes. Meanwhile, the Rockets (11-14) shot just 4 of 20 from the field and 0 of 10 on threes in the period.
The Heat began the third quarter in a six-point hole and ended the quarter with a 12-point lead.
Houston rallied to cut Miami’s lead to just three with 50 seconds to play, but that was the closest the Rockets got.
Jimmy Butler again led the way for the Heat with a triple-double performance that included 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in 39 minutes. Including the postseason, it marked the 10th triple-double of Butler’s NBA career and his sixth as a member of the Heat.
The Rockets used smaller defenders to defend the Heat’s other star Bam Adebayo, who finished with 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting, 13 rebounds, eight assists and eight turnovers.
The Heat continues its trip on Saturday night against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Arena. Miami is now just one-half game behind the sixth-place Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference standings.
Here are five takeaways from the Heat’s win over the Rockets:
Along with missing guards Avery Bradley (right calf strain) and Goran Dragic (left ankle sprain), the Heat learned minutes before tip-off that it would need to play Thursday without Herro.
Herro, who traveled with the Heat to Houston, was ruled out of the contest just a few minutes before it began because of the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said he learned that Herro would not play “17 seconds before I was going into speak to the team” before the game. When asked for further clarity on Herro’s status, Spoelstra said he could not comment because of the private nature of the league’s COVID-19 protocols.
The fact that Herro was ruled out because of the league’s health and safety protocols does not suggest that he tested positive for COVID-19, but only means the reason is related to the virus.
Players who are determined to be close contacts to a positive COVID-19 case are expected to usually be sidelined for seven days, and those who test positive for the virus likely have to miss at least about two weeks.
Herro previously tested positive for COVID-19 last year prior to the resumption of the 2019-20 season in the Walt Disney World quarantine bubble.
The Heat has already been one of the teams most impacted by the NBA’s health and safety protocols, playing two games (Jan. 12 and Jan. 14 losses to the Philadelphia 76ers) with the NBA minimum of eight available players because of COVID-19 issues.
Already this season, health and safety protocols forced Butler to miss 10 straight games; Bradley to miss eight straight games, and Adebayo, Dragic, Moe Harkless, Udonis Haslem, Kendrick Nunn and KZ Okpala to miss two straight games. Bradley disclosed that he tested positive for COVID-19 in January.
Along with missing Bradley, Dragic and Herro on Thursday, the Heat was also without Meyers Leonard (left shoulder surgery) and Chris Silva (left hip flexor strain).
Herro’s status for the rest of the trip remains unclear, with the Heat flying to Salt Lake City on Thursday night just a few hours after its win over the Rockets.
“We’ve been dealing with this for five weeks,” Spoelstra said of the team facing more more protocol issues. “Everybody has this twisted about this team, saying that there’s a lack of whatever. Whatever the stupid narrative that’s out there, we have incredible mental toughness and stability in that locker room and as a staff because we’ve been dealing with it. We’re not making any excuses for it.”
Butler and Miami’s defense again led the way, especially in the third quarter.
The Heat made its third-quarter run behind a determined Butler, who recorded six points, six rebounds and five assists while playing the entire period.
“He understood how important it was for us to create some space,” Spoelstra said of Butler’s third quarter. “Defensively, we were able to get some consecutive stops and then he made sure the ball was getting to where it needed to go on the other end. And Bam picked up his fourth foul, so it was understood, it was unspoken. He just knew that he was going to have to go the whole quarter.”
It’s just the continuation of a strong stretch for Butler, who has averaged 22.6 points on 43.9 percent shooting, 8.6 rebounds and 8.6 assists in seven games since returning from a 10-game absence due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
Butler shot 10 of 11 from the foul line against the Rockets, and he’s averaging 11.9 free-throw attempts per game during this seven-game stretch.
The Heat has outscored its opponent by eight points per 100 possessions this season when Butler is playing. Opponents have outscored the Heat by 8.1 points per 100 possessions this season when Butler is not on the court.
The Heat’s defense was also excellent, limiting the Rockets to 94 points on 38.6 percent shooting from the field and 15-of-50 shooting on threes in the game.
Miami’s defense has been very good during its winning streak, allowing only 100.3 points per 100 possessions in the past four games. For perspective, the Los Angeles Lakers own the NBA’s top defensive rating for the season at 104.5 points allowed per 100 possessions.
It’s worth noting, though, that three of the Heat’s last four games have come against a few of the league’s least efficient offenses. The New York Knicks’ offensive rating is ranked 25th and the Rockets’ offensive rating is ranked 24th this season.
Without Herro, the Heat’s bench rotation looked different. And two-way contract forward Max Strus took full advantage of another opportunity.
The late scratch of Herro lifted Strus into the rotation on Thursday night. It marked Strus’ first playing time since Friday’s win over the Wizards.
Strus made the most of his minutes against the Rockets, finishing with a career-high 21 points on 5-of-8 shooting on threes in 25 minutes. He’s now shooting 42.6 percent from three-point range on 3.9 attempts per game for the season.
But Strus also proved there was more to his game than outside shooting Thursday, driving past Rockets guard John Wall for an impressive dunk in the third quarter.
“We’ve developed confidence with him,” Spoelstra said. “He has played this year. He had a great game against the Clippers. Nobody remembers it, nobody cares because we weren’t able to hold on to that 15-point lead, 20-point lead. But he played extremely well in that game and in other moments when his number has been called. But it was great to see the locker room happy for him and enjoying his success tonight.”
After missing the past nine games because of a left thigh contusion, Harkless was available to play on Thursday night. But he did not get in the game.
Harkless, 27, signed a one-year, $3.6 million deal to join the Heat in free agency this past offseason.
Harkless has averaged 1.3 points on 4-of-8 shooting on threes in 10.6 minutes in nine games (three starts) this season.
Harkless began the season as Miami’s frontcourt starter alongside Adebayo, but his time in the starting lineup didn’t last long. Harkless has been in and out of the Heat’s rotation when he has been available.
“He definitely adds,” Spoelstra said of Harkless’ return. “He’s a veteran two-way player. Right before he got hurt, he actually had some good moments where I think he was starting to get in a better rhythm and more comfortable in our program. So it’s great to have him on this road trip.”
Before Thursday’s game, the NBA announced a list of updates to the schedule. A few affect the Heat.
There are two games involving the Heat that are included on the list of changes:
▪ The Feb. 22 game between the Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena will now start at 9 p.m. It was previously scheduled to begin at 8 p.m.
▪ The Feb. 28 game between the Heat and Atlanta Hawks at AmericanAirlines Arena will now start at 8 p.m. It was previously scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.
This story was originally published February 11, 2021 at 10:12 PM.
