Heat guard Tyler Herro out with ankle injury

Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro suffered a Grade 2 right ankle sprain in Wednesday’s game in Memphis.

Herro will be in a walking boot for 10 days and re-evaluated in two weeks.

Herro has started in all eight games this season, averaging a team-leading 22.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.38 steals and 34.0 minutes while shooting 44.7 percent from the field, 41 percent from three-point range and 88 percent from the foul line. He entered last night’s game having connected on multiple three-point field goals in all previous seven games, tying for the third-longest streak to start a season in team history. Additionally, entering last night, Herro had totaled 177 points to start the season, marking the fifth-most points through the first seven games of a season in franchise history.

Heat guard Tyler Herro undergoes hand surgery

Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro underwent open reduction and internal fixation surgery of the third and fourth metacarpal of his right hand.

The 90-minute procedure was performed by Dr. Ann Ouelette and observed by HEAT team physician Dr. Harlan Selesnick at Doctors Hospital Ambulatory Surgery Center. He is expected to miss a minimum of six weeks.

Herro, who suffered the injury during Miami’s Game 1 win in Milwaukee on April 16, appeared in 67 regular season games (all starts) averaging 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 34.9 minutes. He shot a league-best and HEAT single-season franchise record 93.4 percent from the foul line. Additionally, he paired with Jimmy Butler (22.9) and Bam Adebayo (20.4) to become the first trio in team history to each average at least 20 points in a season.

Miami Heat sign Tyler Herro to big contract extension

The Miami Heat have signed guard Tyler Herro to a contract extension.

Per the South Florida Sun Sentinel, “the team and Herro have agreed on a contract extension, a four-year deal that an NBA executive confirmed to the Sun Sentinel that is worth as much as $130 million, kicking in at the start of the 2023-24 season.”

“Tyler is an impact multi-faceted player and we are excited to have him signed for the next five years,” said HEAT President Pat Riley. “His improvement every year since we drafted him has led to this day. We believe he will continue to get better.”

Also per the Sun Sentinel, “because of NBA-salary cap policies, with the agreement Herro essentially cannot be traded during 2022-23, because of the sharp spike in his salary from the $5.7 million he will earn this season on the final year of his rookie deal. Herro’s agreement includes $120 million in guaranteed salary, with an additional $10 million in possible incentives, an NBA source confirmed.”

Herro, the 2021-22 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, appeared in 66 games last season (10 starts) and averaged 20.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 32.6 minutes while shooting 44.7 percent from the field, 39.9 percent from three-point range and 86.8 percent from the foul line, scoring a team-best 1,367 points while his 86.8 percent from the line was the fourth-highest percentage for a single-season in team history. He averaged 20.8 points off the bench, the highest by a reserve in the NBA and his 1,162 bench points were the most for a single-season by any reserve in HEAT franchise history. He recorded eight 30-point games off the bench, tying for the third-most by a non-starter for a single-season in NBA history and became the only player in HEAT history to record multiple 30-point games as a reserve and already has more than all other 30-point such games combined in franchise history (five). His 20 25-point games tied for the fourth-most ever in league history (since starts were tracked in 1970-71) and his 32 20-point games shattered Miami’s previous single-season record of 15. Herro scored a career-high 35 points on April 5 vs. Charlotte, tying for the most by a reserve in team history and posted a 30-point, 10-rebound double-double off the bench on October 23 at Indiana, becoming the first HEAT reserve to ever score at least 30 points and grab at least 10 rebounds in a single game. He scored 27 points in the season opener on October 21 vs. Milwaukee, tying the sixth-most ever by a reserve for a season opener in NBA history as he finished the season with 175 made three-point field goals, joining Duncan Robinson, Max Strus, Kyle Lowry and Gabe Vincent to mark just the second time in HEAT history at least five different players made at least 100 treys in a single season.

Herro, an NBA All-Rookie Team selection and two-time NBA Rising Stars honoree, has appeared in 175 career games (33 starts) and averaged 16.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 30.3 minutes while shooting 44 percent from the field, 38.5 percent from three-point range and 85.1 percent from the foul line. He has increased his scoring average in each of his three seasons, averaging 13.5 points as a rookie to 15.1 points the following year and most recently last season to 20.7 points. He has scored in double-figures 142 times, including 62 20-point games and 11 30-point performances. Herro scored the 2,000th point of his career on December 4 at Milwaukee, tying the second fastest and the second youngest to the mark in team history. Additionally, he already ranks among the HEAT’s all-time leaders in scoring average (8th), three-point field goals made (12th), three-point field goal percentage (15th), field goal percentage (19th) and points (22nd).

Tyler Herro wins 2021-22 NBA Sixth Man of the Year award

Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro has been named the 2021-22 NBA Sixth Man of the Year for his contributions in a reserve role, the NBA announced today. This is the first Sixth Man honor for Herro, who becomes the first player to win the annual award with the Heat.

Herro received 488 total points (96 first-place votes) from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters. Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love finished in second place with 214 points (three first-place votes). Phoenix Suns forward Cam Johnson finished in third place with 128 points (one first-place vote).

Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote. To be eligible for the Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award, a player had to have come off the bench in more games than he started.

In his third NBA season, Herro averaged 20.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 32.6 minutes in 66 games (10 starts). His scoring average of 20.8 points as a reserve was the highest in the NBA. He became the fifth player to average at least 20.0 points off the bench (minimum 50 games as a reserve) since starts began being tracked in the 1970-71 season, joining Thurl Bailey (1987-88), Eddie Johnson (1988-89), Ricky Pierce (1989-90, 1990-91) and Lou Williams (2017-18, 2018-19).

Herro’s eight 30-point games off the bench were tied for the third most since the 1970-71 season and his 20 25-point games were tied for the fourth most. He ranked 20th in the NBA in free throw percentage (86.8), 21st in points per game, 26th in three-point field goal percentage (39.9) and 32nd in three-pointers made (175).

Setting a single-season franchise record with 1,162 points off the bench, Herro helped the Heat finish with a 53-29 record and earn the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the 2022 NBA Playoffs presented by Google Pixel. Miami is currently facing the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, with Game 2 to be played on Wednesday, May 4 at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT.

Herro, 22, the 13th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, has averaged 16.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 175 games over three seasons with the Heat. In the 2019-20 season, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team and set a Miami single-game playoff rookie scoring record with 37 points against the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Tyler Herro scoring big off the Miami Heat bench

Scoring guard Tyler Herro has done big things off the Miami Heat bench this season. Via the South Florida Sun Sentinel:

In a season of milestones for Tyler Herro, two more likely will come Friday night when the Miami Heat face the Oklahoma City Thunder at FTX Arena.

With his sixth point, he will become the third player in the Heat’s 34 years to score 1,000 bench points in a season. With his eighth point, he will tie Tyler Johnson (2016-17) for second place on the franchise’s all-time list for bench points in a season. And when he reaches 34 more points, he will match Dwyane Wade (2018-19) for the most bench points in a season by a Heat player. And all of that is with 12 games remaining…

With Tuesday night’s 17-point second period, Herro has scored in double figures in eight consecutive second quarters, dating to March 2 at Milwaukee. He has scored 120 points in those eight second quarters.

The Heat are 46-24 this season, which is the best record in the Eastern conference.

Their leading scorers in 2021-22 have been Jimmy Butler at 21.1 points per game, Herro at 21.0 ppg, Bam Adebayo at 19.0 ppg, and Kyle Lowry at 12.6 ppg.

Heat guard Tyler Herro off to good start in preseason

Heat guard Tyler Herro got off to a strong start in preseason today. Via the Sun Sentinel:

There was a time when Tyler Herro was the walking embodiment of Miami Heat trade rumors.

Such as at March’s NBA trading deadline. Then August’s start of offseason personnel period.

And then there are nights such as Monday’s 125-99 preseason victory over the Atlanta Hawks at FTX Arena, when a reminder was offered of what remains in place and what just a calendar year earlier helped fuel the Heat to within two victories of the 2020 NBA title.

With Jimmy Butler given the night off for rest, Herro scored 16 first-quarter points on the way to 26 in 26 minutes, in a display that bodes promising for what is expected to be a sixth-man role.

It was an encouraging opening statement for the Heat in an exhibition that included several, including a heartening Heat debut by Kyle Lowry, offensive consistency from Bam Adebayo and encouraging moments from Duncan Robinson, Max Strus and even Omer Yurtseven and KZ Okpala.

Tyler Herro set to return for Heat Saturday against the Jazz

Miami’s third leading scorer is set to return tomorrow. Via the Sun Sentinel:

Tyler Herro is back with the Miami Heat after another pit stop in the NBA’s health and safety protocols.

Held out of Thursday night’s 101-94 victory over the Houston Rockets at the start of the Heat’s seven-game trip, Herro was on the team flight to Salt Lake City, where the Heat will face the Utah Jazz on Saturday night.

While it was the first game Herro missed this season due to pandemic protocols, he previously was held out of a practice at AmericanAirlines Arena, after a housemate tested positive, with that ultimately proving to be a false positive.

The Heat are 11-14 this season. Their leading scorers are Bam Adebayo at 19.7 points per game, Jimmy Butler at 19.5 ppg, and Herro at 17.0 ppg.

After 47-point loss to Bucks, Heat bounce back with win

The Miami Heat got destroyed by the Milwaukee Bucks a few days ago, but quickly got a chance at revenge and were able to capitalize. Via the South Florida Sun Sentinel:

Back in the same building against the same opponent one night after losing by 47 to the Milwaukee Bucks, the Heat this time limited their largest deficit to 14 — instead of the 51 a night earlier — and then drew a line on the AmericanAirlines Arena hardwood.

So from Tuesday night’s 144-97 torment, the Heat made a quick turnaround to Wednesday night’s 119-108 resounding resurgence…

A night after the Bucks shot a record-setting 29 of 51 on 3-pointers, there was a more mundane 16 of 41 from Milwaukee.

Without Jimmy Butler for a second consecutive night, as the All-Star forward deals with a balky right ankle, Spoelstra shuffled his starting lineup and rotation and dealt a winning hand to leave his team with a 2-2 start to the season.

The Heat often do things differently. In this case, their leading scorer was a reserve: Goran Dragic, with 26 points. Their leading rebounder was a guard: Tyler Herro, with 15 rebounds. And their assists leader was their center: Bam Adebayo, with 10 assists.

Lakers beat Heat 102-96, take 3-1 lead in NBA Finals

LA Times: “In Game 4 of the NBA Finals, the Lakers found a way. They had just enough to come out ahead 102-96 and take a 3-1 series lead over the Heat in the best-of-seven series and are now one win away from securing the franchise’s 17th championship. James led the Lakers, scoring 28 points, eight assists and 12 rebounds, while Davis scored 22 points, with four assists and nine rebounds, distinguishing himself with his stifling defense on Miami star Jimmy Butler. James and Davis each made eight of 16 shots attempted. The importance of this game wasn’t lost on the Lakers. They were on edge after their Game 3 loss Sunday, unhappy with how that game unfolded. Just in case, James wanted them to know just how important it was to him.”

Miami Herald: “Lakers All-Star forward LeBron James seemed to control the second half of Game 4, with 20 points on 5-of-8 shooting, nine rebounds and four assists during the final two quarters. He scored only eight points on 3-of-8 shooting in the first half. James finished Los Angeles’ victory with 28 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists and six turnovers. Five of his six turnovers came in the first half. The Lakers’ second star was also very good in Game 4. Big man Anthony Davis recorded 22 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four blocks in the win. Davis and James combined for 34 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and three blocks in the second half.”

Miami Herald: Heat All-Star wing Jimmy Butler followed up his historic 40-point Game 3 triple-double performance by almost picking up another triple-double. He finished Tuesday’s loss with 22 points on 8-of-17 shooting, 10 rebounds, nine assists and three steals, as the Lakers used Davis and James to defend Butler for most of the game.

Miami Herald: “Adebayo was relatively effective in his return Tuesday, finishing with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting, seven rebounds and one assist in 33 minutes. On the defensive end, Adebayo took on the challenge of guarding Davis during stretches. But Adebayo was quiet in the fourth quarter, with two points on one shot, one rebound and zero assists in the period.”

Miami Herald: “This is the Heat team that steamrolled Indiana in the first round of the playoffs and then eliminated Giannis Antetokounmpo and No. 1 seed Milwaukee in the second. The Lakers with LeBron and A.D. were supposed to dominate fifth-seeded Miami, which didn’t even make the playoffs the year before. And that was before starters and key players Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic were lost to injuries in the series. Dragic remains out with a foot injury, tearfully, as he described it Tuesday. Adebayo played well in his return, though surely not 100 percent.”

OC Register: KCP, as he’s known to Laker Nation’s resident fans and critics, finished with 15 points on 6-for-12 shooting. That offensive production included a couple of big buckets late that helped L.A. wrestle a hard-fought victory away from the Miami Heat in the bubble at Lake Buena Vista, Florida. With the Lakers leading only 90-88 and about 3 minutes left, Caldwell-Pope sprinted to the corner in transition, ready and awaiting LeBron James’ pass, which he caught, shot and converted for one of his three corner 3-pointers of the night. “That’s really one of my specialties,” Caldwell-Pope said. “I’m always running from end to end, corner to corner.” Moments later, Caldwell-Pope let the Lakers breathe yet easier when he got Duncan Robinson to bite on a fake at the top of the key, blew past the Heat guard and flew all the way to the rim for a soaring and sensationally timed layup off the backboard that made it 95-88 with 2:02 to go.

OC Register: With two minutes left in the fourth game of the NBA Finals, Caldwell-Pope found himself with the ball and Miami’s Duncan Robinson guarding him. That invited Caldwell-Pope to burst to the bucket and put the Lakers up by seven, and then Davis and Rajon Rondo expanded that cushion. The Lakers now lead, 3-1, with this 102-96 win. Like the steamfitters and stampers and fabricators that they resembled, they took a shower after they worked. “We don’t really have a third scorer,” Kyle Kuzma said, after he and the rest of the Laker bench outscored Miami’s reserves 27-14 and had 14 rebounds. “Our scorers are AD and LeBron, and then the rest of us play team basketball. Any of us can step up at any time.”

Jimmy Butler gets triple-double, Heat beat Lakers in NBA Finals Game 3

ESPN.com: “Jimmy Butler’s 40-point triple-double on Sunday pushed the injury-ridden Miami Heat to a 115-104 win in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, avoiding a 3-0 series death knell. For 45 minutes, Butler slashed to the basket and jockeyed with Lakers defenders for offensive rebounds on his way to finishing with 40 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists. His stat line puts him in esteemed company: Butler was just the third player in Finals history to have a 40-point triple-double, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information, joining Jerry West and LeBron James.”

ESPN.com: “The win does give the Heat some extra time to potentially get Goran Dragic — who missed the past two games with a torn plantar fascia in his left foot — and Bam Adebayo — who missed the same two games with a strained neck — back on the floor. “I go to war for those guys because whenever they’re out there, they’re going to war with and for me,” Butler said.”

LA Times: “With 10 seconds remaining in his team’s embarrassing 115-104 loss to the undermanned Miami Heat on Sunday night in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, LeBron James turned his back and walked off the court. A handful of teammates followed. Even though the clock still was ticking, there were soon only two Lakers left on the floor. When there was a stoppage in play with about a second remaining, Lakers coach Frank Vogel had to insert three new players into the game just to finish it. It was unsightly. It was humiliating. It was basically how the Lakers handled their business the entire night at the AdventHealth Arena near Orlando, Fla., surrendering the ball, acquiescing to Jimmy Butler, conceding to a team missing two of its best players but clearly not its fight.”

ESPN.com: “With Adebayo and Dragic sidelined, that three-pronged offense was reduced to a single leg. Forget about those nifty three-man actions playing off Adebayo at the elbow, and forget about Dragic’s whirling and probing that sucks the defense in and produces kick-out 3-pointers. The Heat would have to concoct some high-grade lemonade, with Butler — master brewer himself — at the controls. What the Heat lost in versatility they gained in individual dominance on Sunday evening. Butler was aggressive, crafty, unselfish and, in key moments, sublime. As both playmaker and scorer, Butler owned the half court in Game 3. He scored 40 points, dished out 13 assists and grabbed 11 rebounds. He got to the free throw line 14 times, and took on the assignment of defending LeBron James for extended stretches.”

OC Register: “Adebayo worked out before Sunday’s game, and Miami coach Eric Spoelstra talked of how it was agonizing to have to sit Adebayo and Goran Dragic (plantar fascia tear) Sunday but he had to be responsible for their health. “I know how much this means to (Adebayo), and I know how much he wants to be out there,” Spoelstra said. “This is one of the most difficult decisions that I’ve had to make with the trainers and with Pat (Riley) and everybody, but it’s the most responsible thing.” The Heat, which has already knocked off Milwaukee and Boston, climbed back into this series with Butler’s brilliance and a mixture of resilience, resolve and good old fashioned aggression.”

Miami Herald: “According to Elias Sports, Butler scored or assisted on 73 points Sunday and that’s tied for the second-most in a Finals game in NBA history behind only Walt Frazier’s 74 points. Butler’s Heat teammates combined to score 75 points on 45 percent shooting in Game 3. Tyler Herro and Kelly Olynyk each scored 17 points in the win, and Jae Crowder was important with 12 points, eight rebounds and solid defense. Butler is averaging 22.1 points on 48.2 percent shooting, 5.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists in 37.3 minutes this postseason.”

Miami Herald: “The Heat started Herro in Dragic’s place and center Meyers Leonard in Adebayo’s place Sunday for the second consecutive game.”

OC Register: “The Lakers’ offensive dysfunction was a team effort, including a couple of duds from shooters Kentavius Caldwell-Pope and Danny Green. The bubble has haunted Green for much of the Lakers’ extended stay; the two-time NBA champion was a 41.6% field-goal shooter in the regular season, but he’s shooting 33.3 percent from the field in the playoffs, when he’s 33.0% from 3-point range.”

OC Register: “And in the past two games of the Finals, Green is a combined 1 for 14, including missing all six of his shots Sunday. Caldwell-Pope hasn’t been much better this series: He’s 8 for 29 so far against the Heat, including going 1 for 5 on Sunday. That’s well off the typical pace for the guard who was a 46.7% shooter from the floor and a 38.5% 3-point shooter in the regular season.”