Mateo’s Hoop Diary: The Heat left Houston with a win following a scuffle and a big night from Tyler Herro

Tyler Herro cooked the Rockets so hard that Amen Thompson had to throw him down to make it stop, but the Heat were already too far ahead.  The crew overcame the league’s second-rated defense plus 13 lead changes en route to one of the top wins of the season. 

“That’s what happens when someone’s scoring, throwing dimes, doing the whole thing. I’d get mad, too,” Herro said in the locker room postgame.

Herro led the way early, dribbling to the hoop for a couple of baskets and hitting a deep pull-up. Terry Rozier logged four shots and Adebayo made two in the paint.

But the defense couldn’t stop Alperen Şengün piercing the lane four times, and Rozier fouled Jalen Green on a 3-point try. 

Then Adebayo, Rozier and Highsmith added two field goals apiece, but the rest of the team made two of nine. Defensively, 3-pointers weren’t hurting the crew, but Şengün was perfect on three extra attempts in the restricted area.

At halftime, the Heat was up 53-50. They had 30 paint points, nine on the break, eight via second chances, 10 off turnovers and nine from the bench. 

The Rockets had 28 paint points, six on the break, seven via second chances, six off turnovers and 11 from the bench.

Subsequently, the Heat started the turd quarter, getting outscored 18-5 in five minutes. Jalen Green was also catching fire on scores from long and close range. But the flow of the match changed as soon as Herro connected on a corner triple supplied by Haywood Highsmith. The Heat ended the quarter making eight of 10 baskets on screen rolls and open jumpers. 

The fourth quarter began with the Heat down 82-81. It was a defensive struggle after four minutes when the Heat went down seven points. No team shot above 31.6%, yet the visitors were sharper to close, holding the Rockets to 11 connective misses and three baskets in the last 18 tries. 

Herro was the only Heatle to hit multiple shots in the frame, but Nikola Jović’s wing dagger over Thompson put the game out of reach. 

Next, Fred VanVleet got ejected while arguing over a five-second violation. Herro made the technical free throw, but while waiting for the ball to check in, he and Thompson got tangled up. Herro was thrown on the ground and bodies instantly came into the fray- Rozier went for Thompson in particular. 

It resulted in ejections for Herro, Rozier, Thompson, Green, Ime Udoka and Ben Sullivan.

The Heat won 104-100. They had 48 paint points, 14 on the break, 15 via second chances, 15 off turnovers and 31 from the bench. 

Herro scored 27 points on 10 of 17 attempts, with six rebounds, nine assists and three turnovers. 

Jović had 18 points on five of nine shots, with seven rebounds and six assists. 

And Highsmith had 15 points on 67% shooting, with eight rebounds, two assists, two steals, one block and a turnover. 

The Rockets had 44 paint points, 19 on the break, nine via second chances, 12 off turnovers and 18

from the bench. 

After the game, Adebayo said the team’s response to the dust-up was appropriate. “That’s what being in this locker room is about… one of us get in a scuffle, we all jump in.”

The Heat’s record is now 16-14.

Observations: 

• Kel’el Ware’s size was a problem for the Rockets. He scored on screen rolls with Herro and Jović. The Heat will need more of Ware’s vertical spacing when Adebayo rests.

• Jović had his top game of the season. He made three of five triples on the catch and dribble, plus maneuvered into the lane for two baskets. 

• It would be unjust if the NBA’s chief disciplinarian Joe Dumars suspended Herro. Getting dropped, cursing at an aggressor and waving goodbye to the crowd is not cause for it, but pretending to be in mixed martial arts is. 

• This is what getting a win out of the mud looks like. The team’s half-court offense was halted to 84.1 points per 100 possessions, good enough for the 18th percentile of all games played this season, per Cleaning the Glass.