Miami Heat vs. Houston Rockets Takeaways: Tyler Herro Bounced Back From Underwhelming Performance
The Miami Heat returned home from their road trip by taking care of business against the Houston Rockets, 120-113.
Here's a look at five major takeaways:
1. Tyler Herro bounced back from his underwhelming performance against the Phoenix Suns.
After one of his worst showings of the season, the former Sixth Man of the Year silenced all doubters. Herro recorded 28 points on 50 percent shooting and 5 of 10 from beyond the arc. He is no stranger to criticism, which was proven tonight by his unbothered mentality.
2. Nikola Jovic filled the stat sheet on the road to victory.
It's unusual for the Serbian forward to see immense amounts of action, but he took full advantage of the opportunity tonight. He flooded the box score with six points, eight rebounds, six assists, two steals, and two blocks. However, Jovic didn't have the best shooting display. He shot 2 of 9 and 20 percent from three-point range. These recent outings should result in Jovic seeing the floor much more in the coming weeks.
3. Bam Adebayo's talent was clear in his matchup with Alperen Sengun.
It's undeniable that the two-time All-Star big man is having his best year on offense, but that doesn't mean his elite-level defense should go overlooked. He finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds on 75 percent shooting, while Sengun scored an identical number on 9 of 15 shooting. The Houston big man didn't show poorly on the stat sheet but was made uncomfortable in the paint on multiple possessions.
4. Kevin Love is one of the most positive surprises in Miami's lineup.
Consistency is a word often floating around the Heat's organization, for better or worse. Love is perhaps the identity of the positive consistency for Miami this season, which he exhibited on Monday. He finished the night with 15 points and seven rebounds on 57.1 percent shooting off the bench.
5. Rookies Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Cam Whitmore battled until the closing minutes.
Miami was bashed on draft night for selecting the four-year UCLA prospect over the one-and-done at Villanova. This evaluation was proven false shortly after, as Jaquez is one of the league's top rookies. The first-year forwards went back and forth on Monday evening, with Jaquez scoring 14 points to Whitmore's 11.
Anthony Pasciolla works as a contributing writer to Inside the Heat.
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