November 3, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) dribbles the basketball as Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) defends during the fourth quarter at Kaseya Center.
Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports In their season opener, the Miami Heat managed to end their four-game losing streak and had their best offensive outing of the season , defeating the Washington Wizards 121-114 , improving to 2-4 on the year.
Even though Miami faces a Washington team that ranks last in points allowed per game and defensive rating, it’s refreshing to see the Heat firing on all cylinders.
As a team, Miami shot 60% from the field and 48% from behind the arc.
The Heat’s incredible performance resulted in a season-high 121 points.
Miami’s offense was led by another strong performance from Tyler Herro, who is determined to win tonight.
“We spent a lot of time preparing, trying to get a win tonight after a few losses in a row.
It was a big game for us,” Herro said.
Herro finished with a near triple-double and led the team in points, rebounds and assists with 24 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.
From the start of the game, Herro actively sought out teammates as he dished out a series of assists off screens and rolls, while also finding diving shots to the rim.
Herro’s contributions as a playmaker were instrumental in Miami achieving a season-high 35 assists.
Early in the season, Heat president Pat Riley said the team needed a “25-point-per-game scorer” and even though he’s only played five games, Herro showed that he could be capable of setting the score average high.
He is currently averaging 26.
2 points per game.
“He’s used to all the different coverages the bigs get, the changeups, the aggressive coverages, the drop zone and the blitzes tonight,” Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoesltra said.
Herro has been excellent this season, and it was fitting that he was rewarded with a win after a stellar performance, given his previous scoring outbursts in Boston and Milwaukee both ended in losses.
Miami’s offense was largely scrappy, as another drought gave Washington a 15-0 lead in the fourth quarter.
But one positive so far is that Herro is playing at an All-Star level.
The next step for Herro and the Heat now is to make those performances lead to more wins as the season progresses.
