Tyler Herro shines as the Miami Heat dominate, while the Brooklyn Nets' turnovers and star containment problems lead to a crushing defeat.
As the Miami Heat continue to carve a path out of the Play-In Tournament, they secured a 124–98 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night. It marked the second consecutive night that Herro was inserted in the starting lineup. Despite missing All-Star Norman Powell and Nikola Jovic, the team's offense was in rhythm from beginning to end.
Key takeaways from the game:
- Heat; full resurgence: As Herro continues to get comfortable and find a rhythm since returning from injury, he still manages to finish with an impressive stat line. The 26-year-old finished with 22 points on 53.3 percent shooting, three rebounds, two assists, a block, and +8 in the plus-minus category in 28 minutes, not playing in the fourth quarter.
The former All-Star has played in 17 total games this season. However, Herro believes his game isn't where it can be yet.
"I'm still picking my spots on when to be aggressive," he said. "My three-ball hasn't even nearly got going yet. I'm still doing what I'm doing."
Herro is shooting 37.1 percent from behind the arc in the last six games, including Tuesday night against the Nets. Once he gets comfortable, it can help the Heat's offense.
- Nets; Turnover prone: The roster is the youngest in the league, which means tons of inexperience. In Tuesday's game, the Nets played three rookies 20-plus minutes: forward Danny Wolf, guard Nolan Traore, and guard Ben Saraf. They combined for 14 of the team's 18 total turnovers.
The Heat runs a fast-paced offense, which looks to capitalize on opponents' mistakes. In Tuesday's game, they scored 20 points off turnovers. It gave them the boost necessary to pull away with a blowout victory.
- Nets; Star containment: Despite a losing season, Michael Porter Jr. is averaging career-highs across the board: 24.1 points on 46.7 percent shooting from the field, 36.7 percent from three-point range, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 49 games thus far.
Despite being a high-volume scorer, the former Denver Nuggets champion was contained on Tuesday night. The Heat held Porter Jr. to a season-low nine points on 17.6 percent shooting. He attempted nine three-pointers, missing all of them.
Despite being listed at 6-10, the Heat showed bodies on Porter Jr., preventing him from catching a rhythm.
- Heat; Sixth man case: Jaime Jaquez Jr. has been the team's most reliable player off the bench. Despite the lack of outside shooting, he thrives in the paint. In the midst of a career season, the 25-year-old finished with 20 points on 46.2 percent shooting, including a couple of three-pointers made, five rebounds, four assists, and two blocks in 27 minutes.
The former first-round selection has bounced back from a "sophomore slump" year.
Jaquez Jr. is likely to be in the running for the Sixth Man of the Year award, on pace to play in at least 65 games.
The Heat improve to a 33-29 record, eighth in the Eastern Conference standings. They will host the Nets again on Thursday night. However, with opportunities to get out of the Play-In Tournament cut down, each game from here on out holds significant meaning.
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