After a waiting period, Tyler Herro finally made his season debut, and with him, the Miami Heat also caught fire. With 24 points from Herro, including a crucial floater in the last minute, the Heat secured a 106-102 victory against the Dallas Mavericks at the Kaseya Center. This triumph not only solidified the team’s good start to the season, but also celebrated the return of their top scorer, who recovered from ankle surgery performed in September.
Herro had been working intensely to regain his physical form, targeting the end of this month as a likely date for his return, two months after surgery. Monday’s game, with the absence of Norman Powell and after a victory on Sunday in Philadelphia, was ideal for the Heat, who were looking to maintain their initial momentum.It was a long period of nine or ten weeks, but it went by fast. The team has had a lot of fun, and being able to go out and compete with them tonight was great.
Tyler Herro
The Heat needed every one of Herro’s points, as Dallas, who has played their fifteenth close game of the season, managed to tie the score in the final quarter thanks to P.J. Washington’s 27 points. After a Washington pass that was intercepted by Bam Adebayo, Herro scored a floater that put the Heat up 104-102. Adebayo secured the victory with free throws, extending the Heat’s winning streak to five consecutive games and eight in their last ten.It’s incredible that he can come back and have that rhythm, and that’s only going to improve. When you face better defenses, you can see why we need that skill. You need as much skill and firepower as possible in this league.
Erik Spoelstra, Heat coach
Herro is coming off a standout season, where he averaged 23.9 points with 47% effectiveness, earning him his first All-Star selection. After the Heat’s elimination in the first round of the playoffs, coach Spoelstra redesigned the team’s offensive system, incorporating Noah LaRoche as a consultant to implement a completely different system. This system, unusual in the NBA, largely avoids pick-and-rolls and has led the Heat to play at a faster pace. It requires quick decisions from all players. In Monday’s game, Herro showed that he still needed to regain his rhythm.I was in the right position, I got to my spot and made a floater. But Bam made an incredible steal… without Bam, I wouldn’t have been able to make that play.
Tyler Herro
Herro began to find his rhythm towards the end of the second quarter, and once he started scoring, he didn’t stop, scoring nine consecutive shots and 12 of his last 14 attempts.We have a lot of players who are difficult to defend after receiving the ball. It’s a fun offense. There aren’t many pick-and-rolls, but the game is shared. Everyone feels involved, everyone has the opportunity to be aggressive, and we are succeeding with that.
Bam Adebayo
It’s not a fit for him in terms of how we play. He will fit in perfectly. He’s going to amplify everything we’re doing. I’m happy for him and it’s good that we can build on this.
Erik Spoelstra
