News of Tyler Herro’s eagerly anticipated return opened the Miami Heat’s day, and they finished with a significant victory. Shortly after suffering one of the most agonizing losses of the season on Thursday against the Philadelphia 76ers in Miami, the Heat had a successful day that included good news regarding Herro and a much-needed victory over the Houston Rockets (38-39) on Friday night at Toyota Center, closing a difficult back-to-back set and starting a crucial three-game trip.
You don’t have to be a mind reader to figure out how we felt climbing onto that plane last night after a disappointing loss,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
“In that regard, I was glad we were playing 24 hours later. … It was a good response tonight.” The Heat (43-34), which is fighting to avoid the NBA’s play-in tournament, cruised to Friday’s double-digit win behind a big 56-34 edge in paint points and another quality defensive effort that limited the Rockets to just 45 points on 30 percent shooting in the second half.
The Heat entered halftime ahead by five and extended its lead to as many as 18 points in the second half. The Rockets made a late push in hopes of getting back into the game, pulling within six points with 8:01 left in the fourth quarter.
