BBNBA: Tyler Herro's crazy game-winner lifts Heat past Jazz

With the game tied at 123-123, Tyler Herro did what he was born to do: get buckets.

The Miami Heat shooting guard received an in-bounds pass following a made free-throw by Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen. Herro had to go the length of the hardwood in just 6.3 seconds in order to give Miami a chance. As Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson chased a sprinting Herro up the floor, the former Kentucky Wildcat gathered his dribble just inside the halfcourt line, snuck through a couple of Utah defenders, and fired up a one-legged, running 3-pointer from the top of the key.

What happened next? Well, as Mike Breen would say…

BANGGGGGGGG!!!!

Herro buried the shot right as the buzzer sounded, lifting Miami past Utah 126-123. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year turned regular starter finished with 29 points, nine rebounds, and six assists for the Heat. He went just 3-11 from downtown but hit his third when his team needed it the most.

“You want the ball in his hands because you know he wants those moments,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Herro.

Herro was aided by 32 points, eight rebounds, and five assists from Miami center Bam Adebayo, who shot 11-17 overall from the floor in one of his most impressive outings of the season. Utah held a seven-point lead heading into the final frame, but Miami was able to overcome the deficit despite Jimmy Butler being sidelined due to knee management.

Randle, Quickley combine for 62 in New York win

Julius Randle and Immanuel Quickley are forming quite the impressive scoring duo for the New York Knicks. In a blowout 108-88 victory over the Houston Rockets, the former Wildcats totaled 62 combined points for the Knicks.

Randle exploded for a BBNBA-high of 35 points on 9-20 overall shooting while also chipping in 12 rebounds and six assists for his 19th double-double of the season. Meanwhile, Quickley dropped 27 points of his own, although he needed 25 shots to get there. IQ registered five rebounds and seven assists, as well, but finished just 9-25 overall. Despite that, the Knicks were able to end a five-game losing skid (which came immediately after an eight-game winning streak) thanks to an impressive second-half performance.

Over the last three games, Quickley is averaging an insane 44.8 minutes per outing for New York as starting point Jalen Brunson is in and out of the lineup. The third-year guard popped off for a career-high 36 points against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday before going off again on Saturday.

“It wasn’t what (Quickley) did for himself, but what he did for our team,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said following Saturday’s win. “That was really valuable for us.”

For the Rockets, TyTy Washington Jr. recorded a single point and two rebounds on 0-3 shooting in 12 minutes. After spending the majority of his rookie season in the G League, Washington has now played in eight of Houston’s last nine games.

Luka Doncic’s 51 tops Keldon Johnson’s 30

Make that back-to-back 30-point performances for Spurs wing Keldon Johnson, who also dropped 30 points on Friday night against the Knicks. The one-time ‘Cat went off again on Saturday against the Dallas Mavericks with another 30-burger, shooting 10-19 from the field and 4-5 from beyond the arc. Johnson also added four rebounds in his 35 minutes of action.

Unfortunately, his Spurs team ran into a future MVP. Luka Doncic, who has been posting historic stat lines over the last couple of weeks, was unbelievable once more, pouring in 51 points, six rebounds, and nine assists for the Mavericks. Doncic was able to close out the Spurs in the final moments, leading Dallas to its sixth straight win with a 126-125 win over the Spurs.

Other BBNBA notes

• Despite returning to the floor on Friday after sitting out 18 straight games with a fractured foot, Tyrese Maxey was rested for the second game of the Philadelphia 76ers’ back-to-back on Saturday. The third-year guard finished with nine points on 4-10 shooting in his return on Friday. On the other end of the floor, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander played perhaps the worst game of his All-Star season in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 115-96 loss to those Maxey-less 76ers. SGA posted a season-low 14 points on 4-15 shooting to go along with six rebounds and five assists in 32 minutes.
• PJ Washington went for 12 points, three rebounds, and two assists in the Charlotte Hornets’ blowout loss to the red-hot Brooklyn Nets, which have now won 11 games in a row. Fellow former Wildcat Nick Richards chipped in two points and one rebound in a season-low three minutes played.
• John Wall and the LA Clippers came up just short against the Indiana Pacers despite Paul George dropping 45 points for the Clips. Wall recorded seven points, two assists, and two steals on 3-5 shooting in only 15 minutes. Isaiah Jackson was as a DNP-Coaches Decision for the Pacers.

12/31/22 statistics

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	P/M	MIN
Julius Randle (NYK)	108-88 W @ HOU	35	9-20 (5-13)	12	6	0	1	1	25	38
Bam Adebayo (MIA)	126-123 W @ UTA	32	11-17	8	5	1	0	2	6	36
Keldon Johnson (SAS)	125-126 L vs. DAL	30	10-19 (4-5)	4	0	0	0	0	-2	35
Tyler Herro (MIA)	126-123 W @ UTA	29	10-20 (3-11)	9	6	2	0	5	-2	34
Immanuel Quickley (NYK)	108-88 W @ HOU	27	9-25 (4-13)	5	7	3	0	2	25	40
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC)	96-115 L vs. PHI	14	4-15 (1-2)	6	5	0	0	2	-17	32
PJ Washington (CHA)	106-123 L vs. BKN	12	5-13 (1-4)	3	2	1	1	1	-3	32
Hamidou Diallo (DET)	116-104 W @ MIN	12	5-10 (0-1)	8	3	2	2	1	12	24
John Wall (LAC)	130-131 L @ IND	7	3-5 (1-1)	1	2	2	0	2	0	15
Jarred Vanderbilt (UTA)	123-126 L vs. MIA	4	1-3 (0-1)	5	1	0	0	0	-12	17
Nick Richards (CHA)	106-123 L vs. BKN	2	1-1	1	0	1	0	0	3	3
TyTy Washington Jr. (HOU)	88-108 L vs. NYK	1	0-3 (0-2)	2	0	0	0	0	-3	12
Brandon Boston Jr. (LAC)	130-131 L @ IND	DNP-G League	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Tyrese Maxey (PHI)	115-96 W @ OKC	DNP-Foot	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Isaiah Jackson (IND)	131-130 W vs. LAC	DNP-CD	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Kevin Knox (DET)	116-104 W @ MIN	DNP-CD	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Nerlens Noel (DET)	116-104 W @ MIN	DNP-CD	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN)	104-116 L vs. DET	DNP-Calf	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Tonight in the NBA

8:00: Kings (Fox, Lyles, Monk) @ Grizzlies
8:00: Wizards @ Bucks
8:00: Celtics @ Nuggets (Murray)