Rockets Fall to Heat, 111-108, as Herro’s 41 Points, Refs, Help End Home Streak
Herro Ball. Proper Hosing. Game of Runs.
The Rockets did everything they did to mount a comeback on Thursday night. They ultimately fell short, as the Heat prevailed, 111-108, ending Houston’s two-game win streak and stopping their run of five consecutive wins at home. Tyler Herro was on fire for the second night in a row, After scoring 35 points the previous night, Herro scored a career-high 41 points, on 10-for-15 shooting from beyond the arc. He became the first player in NBA history to make 9 or more three’s on consecutive nights. This was a rare occasion, but Houston had the chance to double him, and force someone else to beat them, but they allowed Tyler to play Herro ball all night long. Jimmy Butler chipped in 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists for Miami, but the Heat won this game because of Herro’s historic night. Jalen Green led the Rockets with 22 points, but was only 1-for-6 from long range. Kevin Porter Jr. added 21 points on a season-high 10 made shots. Jabari Smith Jr. had another double-double, with 15 points and 11 boards. And the Rockets had six guys in double-figures scoring, but they still couldn’t prevail against Miami. Alperen Sengun turned an ankle late in the second half, and Usman Garuba came in with some inspired minutes. Sengun is listed as probable for Houston’s next game, so the injury didn’t appear to be anything serious. Rookie Tyty Washington also saw the first meaningful minutes of his NBA career, registering 2 points, 5 dimes, and 3 boards in 12 minutes of action.
However, Houston did get properly hosed by the refs in arguably the worst officiated game the Rockets have participated in all season. After a switch on defense, Usman Garuba found himself guarding the game’s hottest player in Herro. Garuba played passionate, inspired defense on Herro. He tapped the ball away from Herro as Garuba moved his feet and stayed in front of the quicker guard. However, the refs called a foul on Garuba, forcing Stephen Silas to use his challenge. After reviewing the call, the officials realized they made the wrong call, and the call was reversed. However, this put Houston and Silas out of challenges for the remainder of the game. And the really could’ve used one in the final seconds. With 2 seconds remaining in the game, Usman Garuba forced the ball out of bounds off of a Miami Heat player. The call, however, was deemed non-reviewable, despite the replays playing on the big screen in Toyota Center clearly showing it should’ve been Rockets ball. Miami was given the ball, and simply ran the clock out, as Houston didn’t get another chance.
The Rockets had chances to avoid being hosed late in the contest, as this was a game of runs. After an even first quarter that saw the game tied at 29, the Heat took a 14 point lead into the break after ending the half on a 22-9 run. Houston countered by ending the third quarter on a 15-4 run, and cutting the deficit to one entering the final period. The Rockets even took the lead at one point, but too much Herro ball and poor officiating eventually doomed Houston’s chances, and put an end to their two-game winning streak. Up next, the Rockets will try and rebound against the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday. They’ve now played 3 games out of this seven game home stand. Houston is 2-1 during this stretch… they’ll try and comeback stronger against Portland and improve that mark to 3-1 on Saturday night.