BBNBA: Tyler Herro's career-high 41 points power Heat past Rockets

Over his last two games, Tyler Herro has canned a combined 19 shots from beyond the arc. The Miami Heat shooting guard drilled nine three-pointers two nights ago against the Oklahoma City Thunder before knocking down 10 of them (which tied a Heat record) en route to a career-high 41 points on Thursday night.

Herro shot 13-20 overall from the field in Miami’s 111-108 win over the Houston Rockets, including a 10-15 clip from long range. He became just the fourth Heat player in franchise history to reach 10 made triples.

“I didn’t know it was the record until last night when I hit nine, and they said I was one short,” Herro said. “I didn’t have any intention of coming in to tie the record, but I was just trying to get 3s up. I think shooting more 3s is helping.”

Herro added six rebounds, two assists, one steal, one block, and four turnovers to his stat line in 39 minutes played. 25 of his points came in the first half as he helped Miami to a 14-point halftime lead. Houston rallied back though, trailing by a single point heading into the fourth quarter. But the Rockets missed a potential game-tying shot down the stretch that helped Miami secure the win.

Miami, which moved back to .500 and is 15-15 on the season, has won three in a row and four of its last five. That being said, this current win streak has come against the Pacers, Thunder, and Rockets (which have a combined win-loss total of 35-50). The Heat were also without All-Star center Bam Adebayo, who was sidelined due to a minor ankle injury he sustained on Wednesday against OKC.

For Houston, rookie guard TyTy Washington Jr. saw 12 minutes of action, finishing with two points, three rebounds, and five assists with zero turnovers. This was just the third NBA game Washington has appeared in after the Rockets selected him No. 29 overall in the 2022 Draft. He only received a total of eight minutes in the previous two outings but played real clock on Thursday night against Miami.

TyTy Washington full highlights.
5 ASTS | 3REBS | 1 floater in 12 minutes pic.twitter.com/v0MpMQNZ3L

— V̷a̷t̷o̷r̷ (@Vator_H_Town) December 16, 2022

Brandon Boston Jr. plays season-high in minutes

In a battle between the LA Clippers and Phoenix Suns, it was Brandon Boston Jr. who stole the BBNBA headline. The second-year guard played a season-high 24 minutes in the Clippers’ (which was without All-Stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George) 111-95 loss to the Suns, finishing with 16 points, one assist, and three rebounds. He only shot 4-13 from the field and missed all three of his attempts from deep, but did manage to make eight of his nine free throws.

With LA down its top three scorers and four starters, Boston was part of the bench mob that stepped in. He was joined by former Wildcat John Wall, who posted 12 points, four rebounds, and five assists in 26 minutes. It was Wall’s second start of the season for LA, who sat out Wednesday night’s game as he deals with knee soreness.

Unfortunately, Boston Jr., Wall, and company couldn’t keep up with the Suns, which saw Devin Booker return to the hardwood after sitting out the previous two games due to a minor hamstring issue. He admittedly struggled heavily with his shot — going 6-22 from the field and 1-9 from distance — but did add four rebounds and four assists in his 34 minutes. The win for Phoenix snapped a five-game losing skid.

Other BBNBA notes

• We only have one more note from a light four-game slate on Thursday night. Jarred Vanderbilt posted three points, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals while playing 21 minutes for the Utah Jazz. Utah needed overtime to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 132-129 behind a season-high 39 points from Jordan Clarkson.

12/15/22 statistics

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	+/-	MIN
Tyler Herro (MIA)	111-108 W @ HOU	41	13-20 (10-15)	6	2	1	1	4	4	39
Brandon Boston Jr. (LAC)	95-111 L vs. PHX	16	4-13 (0-3)	1	3	0	0	1	-10	24
Devin Booker (PHX)	111-95 W @ LAC	14	6-22 (1-9)	4	4	1	0	2	4	34
John Wall (LAC)	95-111 L vs. PHX	12	5-15 (2-6)	4	5	0	1	2	-5	26
Jarred Vanderbilt (UTA)	132-129 (OT) W vs. NOP	3	0-4 (0-1)	6	3	2	0	0	4	21
TyTy Washington Jr. (HOU)	108-111 L vs. MIA	2	1-2 (0-1)	3	5	0	0	0	-7	12
Bam Adebayo (MIA)	111-108 W @ HOU	DNP-Ankle	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Tonight in the NBA

7:00: Hawks @ Hornets (Richards, PJ Washington)
7:00: Kings (Fox, Lyles, Monk) @ Pistons (Diallo, Knox, Noel)
7:30: Magic @ Celtics
7:30: Pacers (Jackson) @ Cavaliers
7:30 (ESPN): Warriors @ 76ers (Maxey: out)
7:30: Nets @ Raptors
8:00: Knicks (Quickley, Randle) @ Bulls
8:00: Timberwolves (Towns: out) @ Thunder (Gilgeous-Alexander)
8:30: Trail Blazers (Sharpe) @ Mavericks
10:00 (ESPN): Nuggets (Murray) @ Lakers (Davis: probable, Gabriel: out)