Shooting Guard Tyler Herro to Miss Two Weeks for Surging Miami Heat
Posted on: November 13, 2023, 09:51h.
Last updated on: November 13, 2023, 11:27h.
The Miami Heat will play without guard Tyler Herro for the next two weeks after he went down with a right ankle injury.
Herro, the former NBA Sixth Man of the Year, underwent an MRI which revealed a Grade 2 ankle sprain. He will be reevaluated in two weeks.
Herro sustained a sprained ankle in the first quarter in a victory last week against the Memphis Grizzlies. He attempted a shot and got tangled up with Grizzlies center Jaren Jackson Jr.
Right when it happened I felt it,” said Herro. “And I kind of knew mentally, I heard some crunches and cracks in my ankle. And I’m like, ‘Yeah, that will be it.’”
Herro had been averaging a career-high 22.9 points, 4.6 assists, and 1.4 steals per game through the first eight games of the season. He also shot a career-best 44.7% from the floor and 41% from 3-point range.
Time Loves a Herro: Another Injury Stint
Herro missed almost all of last year’s postseason when he fractured his shooting hand at the start of the 2023 NBA playoffs.
Without Herro, the Heat still won the Eastern Conference and secured a spot in the NBA Finals. The Denver Nuggets picked off the Heat to win the 2023 NBA Championship, but Herro wasn’t healed in time to make a cameo in the NBA Finals.
It’s unfortunate, but I’m just going to continue to work hard,” added Herro. “I’ve been through this injury stuff before. I’m just going to keep working.”
“A lot of guys who have been chomping at the bit to get more minutes,” said Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra. Guys are prepared.”
The Heat will lean on Jimmy Butler (18.5 points) and Bam Adebayo (23.2 points) to pick up the scoring slack until Herro returns from his ankle injury.
Veteran guard Josh Richardson is next up in the rotation. But Duncan Robinson will also log minutes at shooting guard. Robinson averaged 18.5 points per game since Herro went down.
Rookie forward Jaime Jaquez has looked good so far this season while averaging 8.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game off the bench. The Heat selected Jaquez with a first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft out of UCLA. In the two games without Herro, Jaquez averaged 15.5 points per game.
“I wouldn’t say necessarily to score,” Jaquez said about his added reasonability. “I would say to just make plays.”
Five-Game Win Streak After 1-4 Start
Without Herro, the Heat are in the middle of a five-game winning streak after starting the season 1-4.
The Heat narrowly won the season opener, 103-102, against the Detroit Pistons. Then they dropped four games in a row against potential playoff teams the Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves, Milwaukee Bucks, and Brooklyn Nets.
After that, the Heat found their shooting groove, winning five games in a row. They currently hold down the #3 seed in the Eastern Conference after completing 10% of the season.
The Heat extended their streak with wins in back-to-back games over the weekend. They rallied from a 19-point deficit to defeat rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.
It was our first character game of the year,” said Spoelstra. “Where you have to show something to be able to overcome that kind of deficit. To do it on the road, I think it’s a good win and good step. Hopefully we can build off that.”
Robinson logged a team-high 36 minutes and led the Heat with 26 points against the Spurs.
NBA Futures Market: Heat Moving Up
The Heat are +4000 odds to win the 2023-24 NBA Championship, but they’re 11th on DraftKings’ futures board.
The Heat are +1600 odds to win back-to-back Eastern Conference titles. The Boston Celtics (+155) and Milwaukee Bucks (+185) are popular picks to win the conference after both teams made major trades to upgrade their starting five. The Philadelphia 76ers (+600) and Cleveland Cavaliers (+1300) are also ahead of the Heat in conference title odds.
The Heat are +105 odds to win the Southeast Conference for the third straight season. They’re ahead of the Atlanta Hawks (5-4) at +125 odds, and the Orlando Magic (5-4) at +550.
On Tuesday, the NBA in-season tournament continues. The Charlotte Hornets host the Heat, and the Hornets are +4.5 home underdogs. The Heat are 4-6 against the point spread (ATS) this season, and they have a 3-0 ATS record in their last three games.
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