Thanks to some strong defense in the second half, the HEAT seized control late and defeated the Spurs 107-87 Wednesday night at AT&T Center.
And while Bam Adebayo set the tone for Miami and was solid from start to finish, another guy helped seal the deal.
SHOP
He goes by the name of Tyler Herro.
1. Tyler Closes It Out
So…Boy Wonder was a certified bucket in the fourth quarter.
Seriously, he led all players with 14 points in the final period (one point shy of what San Antonio had as a team), as he hit trey after trey after trey.
Told ya.
And on the flip side of the ball, Herro did work both at the top and backline of the zone.
When it was all said and done, the 21-year-old amassed 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including 5-of-6 from deep, six rebounds, four assists and a plus-12 rating.
2. Bam Helps Shift Momentum
Although Adebayo was great on both ends of the floor in the first half and continued to switch well and teach guys “The Lesson” like this…
(shoutout to Couper Moorhead)
…his impact in the third quarter was even greater.
In fact, the 23-year-old scored eight-straight points for Miami in the middle of the third and helped swing momentum in his team’s favor.
Naturally, rim-rocking jams were part of the equation.
Adebayo finished with a game-high 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field and 7-of-8 shooting from the line, a team-high eight rebounds, five assists, a game-high three steals and that block above.
3. Jimmy Remains In Control
Simply put, Jimmy was Jimmy in this one.
Never fazed, the 31-year-old took what the defense gave him and knocked down a bunch of mid-range jumpers within the flow of the offense.
Oh yeah, he also continued to show impeccable court vision and set up his teammates extremely well.
This pass to Kendrick Nunn on the break early on really stood out:
And on the defensive end, Butler helped limit DeMar DeRozan and others as much as possible.
Butler concluded the night with 18 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field and a perfect 6-of-6 shooting from the charity stripe, a game-high 11 assists, seven rebounds, one steal and a plus-17 rating.
Game Notes:
-Andre Iguodala (left hip soreness) was an active scratch.
-Victor Oladipo (right knee soreness) was inactive.
Looking Ahead:
-After heading to Atlanta to face the Hawks on Friday, the HEAT will return home to host the Bulls on Saturday at 8PM. Tickets for that game can be found here.