Tyler Herro recorded game highs of 27 points and nine assists before being ejected during a hostile final minute as the Miami Heat rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit to beat the host Houston Rockets 104-100 on Sunday (Monday, December 30, Manila time).
Herro was one of five players tossed in the final 47.4 seconds after Nikola Jovic’s 3-pointer gave Miami a 98-94 lead.
Houston’s Fred VanVleet was ejected first for arguing a five-second call on the Rockets’ ensuing inbounds play. Twelve seconds later, Herro and Rockets forward Amen Thompson ignited a skirmish that led to both being disqualified along with Heat guard Terry Rozier and Houston guard Jalen Green.
Rockets head coach Ime Udoka and assistant Ben Sullivan were also kicked out.
Jovic tacked on two free throws after the chaos to help Miami close out the win. He finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists off the bench.
Haywood Highsmith tallied 15 points and eight rebounds for the Heat, who played a fifth consecutive game without Jimmy Butler. Bam Adebayo paired 12 points with 10 boards.
Dillon Brooks scored a team-high 22 points for Houston after missing the last three games with right ankle soreness. Alperen Sengun added 18 points and 18 rebounds, while Green scored 19 points before his ejection.
Herro led a 20-9 run that closed Miami to within 82-81 at the end of the third quarter. He also fueled the Heat down the stretch in the fourth, assisting on Highsmith’s tying 3-pointer with 4:47 left before adding a 9-footer for a 95-94 lead with 1:56 to play.
Brooks tallied nine points during a 14-2 spurt early in the third quarter that pushed the Rockets to a nine-point lead. Green’s 3-pointer made it 73-61 with 5:19 left in the third before Miami began to chip away behind Herro, who finished the quarter with 11 points and four assists.
The Heat used a 12-0 run to build a 31-27 lead after the first quarter. Neither team gained control of the second as Miami carried a 53-50 lead into the break.
Rozier led the Heat with 12 points in the first half, while Sengun paced Houston with 14. – Rappler.com
