Tyler Herro played the role of hero for the Miami Heat on Wednesday night, as he led the team with 35 points and hit the go-ahead basket with just a few seconds left in the fourth quarter.
After the game, Herro said that he was hoping head coach Erik Spoelstra would put the ball in his hands with the game on the line.
“I mean, I was hoping I would get the ball,” Herro said. “I was just ready for whatever Coach called.”
The University of Kentucky product went 12-for-23 from the field and 9-for-17 from beyond the arc while also grabbing three rebounds and dishing out two assists.
He had better luck taking the last shot on Wednesday than he did against the San Antonio Spurs last week. With the game on the line and the Heat down 113-111, Herro tried to win it all and missed a 3-pointer at the end. The former first-round pick later explained his decision to take the shot, which was backed by Spoelstra.
Herro has always been very confident in himself, and it seems like the missed shot against the Spurs didn’t lower that at all.
Miami really needed a win against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday in order to keep up in the Eastern Conference standings. It is now 2-0 on its current road trip, which has two more stops.
With their current two-game winning streak, the Heat have now moved up to eighth place in the East. If they win the two remaining games on the road trip, they will be over .500 for the first time all season.
However, they might be short-handed on Thursday night against the Houston Rockets. It seems as though big man Bam Adebayo and guard Victor Oladipo may miss the contest with different ailments. Jimmy Butler, who missed the game against the Thunder, is expected to be available for Thursday’s game, though.
Regardless of who plays or not on Thursday, Herro will probably play a big role once again. The 22-year-old is averaging 20.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game this season while knocking 45.0 percent of his shots from the field and 39.3 percent of his attempts from downtown.
The Heat’s road trip will wrap up on Saturday against the Spurs.