Tyler Herro is worth all of the money he received. He proved to everyone who was doubting him and the front office for this decision that he is here to stay. Herro proved that he should and will be a building block for this Miami Heat team now and very much down the line.
Sacramento came into Miami without their best player, De’Aaron Fox, who was out with a knee injury. Miami was also without their best player Jimmy Butler, so this had a grind-it-out type of game written from the beginning.
Indeed it was; Miami came out on the slower end, trying to find their footing with some new faces seeing the floor early on in the game. Kyle Lowry came out and hit some shots that set the precedent for the rest of the night for the veteran. Lowry put up a season-high 22 points on an efficient 8/14 shooting performance. 17 out of Lowry’s 22 points were recorded in the first half.
Bam Adebayo provided a great offensive presence in this one, contributing 20 points and 11 rebounds in an increased usage role.
On the opposition, sharpshooter Kevin Huerter led the way for the Kings. Huerter was dynamite from behind the arc and allowed Sacramento to keep the game close. This game went back and forth for the entirety of the matchup. Fans saw over 25 lead changes in total as it was the definition of a “battle of who wants it more”. Sacramento did hold their own in this one with Domantas Sabonis scoring 22 points on 8/15 shooting and securing 12 rebounds along the way.
Many shined in this outing, but one player rose above the rest. Tyler Herro came out with an immense chip on his shoulder. Herro has been dealing with “overpaid” criticism all off-season and proved exactly why he is worth every dollar. Hero had an immense 26 points that came in the most clutch moments. With 1.8 seconds left in a tie ball game, Herro called “iso” and wanted the ball in his hands. He found just enough space to drain a three from the top of the key which propelled the Heat to a 110-107 victory in a fantastic showing without Jimmy Butler.
The Heat travel to Indianapolis to face off against Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers on Friday.