Tyler Herro met or exceeded all expectations in this breakout season, earning his first All-Star Game invitation, finishing 17th in the league in scoring (at 23.9) and 30th in assists (5.2) and setting career highs in points, rebounds, steals, assists, three-pointers, free throws, field-goal percentage and several other areas.
But Wednesday night in Chicago, in a win-or-go-home scenario, Herro delivered his watershed Heat moment, at least since the time he erupted for 37 points in Game 4 of an Eastern Conference finals game against Boston in the 2020 Disney bubble during the COVID pandemic.
Herro set the tone early in Miami’s 109-90 win, hitting all eight of his shots in a 23-point first half en route to finishing with 38 points (on efficient 13-for-19 shooting), five rebounds and four assists. That performance kept the Heat’s season alive, sending Miami to Atlanta for an elimination play-in game at 7 p.m. Friday on TNT.
“Tyler is one of the best players in the world,” Heat guard Davion Mitchell said. “It’s hard to stop him…. When he’s on like that, it’s going to be really hard to beat us. Especially if we play defense like that, I don’t think no team can beat us, honestly.”
Bulls coach Billy Donovan noted that “last time, [Herro] had a bad shooting night in the areas of the floor he shot well tonight.”
But everything was working for him Wednesday — his pull-up jumpers, his floaters and his three-point game (3 for 7). He also got to to the line, especially late, and hit 9 of 10 free throws.
After the game, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra offered something of a testimonial to the growth in his offensive game.
“Offensively, he was there pretty much at every level all game long,” Spoelstra said. “So it’s not just straight high pick-and-roll where he’s just going to get worn out or they can trap him. He’s making a lot of those plays in between that are unscripted.
“But we’ve also been able to develop that game, which requires everybody seizing those moments and seeing it and developing an IQ to be able to get to that, to be able to take advantage of his skill set, particularly when he’s off the ball. That’s taken some time, but he’s highly skilled offensive player. He’s become much more patient and mature, and I think his confidence is just growing and he’s becoming a lot more efficient because of that.”
Herro said it was as simple as getting “good looks. Every shot I took was a good look right in my wheelhouse. I was able to knock them down. I thank my teammates, coaches for getting me to my spots.”
Herro made his first eight field-goal attempts of the game before missing his first shot of the second half. It marked just the seventh time since 1996 that a Heat player has been 8 for 8 from the field or better at halftime, according to the Associated Press.
“For him to have a year like this, I’ve got the utmost respect for the kid,” Bam Adebayo said. “He’s doing his thing. He’s out there playing basketball free and putting the ball in the basket.”
What has surprised Andrew Wiggins most about Herro since joining the Heat?
“He’s a high-level scorer. He can really [score] at all three levels. I feel like he’s a very underrated passer, too, creator and playmaker. He’s tough. I feel like I didn’t realize it as much until I got here and I actually watched him and played with him. He was an All-Star for a reason. He’s killing it.”
This and that
Bulls players suggested that Chicago’s 3-0 season sweep of the Heat might have given them a false sense of security.
“We thought since we beat them in the regular season, we thought if we would do what we normally do we would be good,” Bulls guard Coby White said. “But they got guys that been to the Finals, got guys who know what it takes, got one of the best head coaches in the league. They came out the more physical team, the more disciplined team. [And referees] don’t call fouls like they normally do.”
Wiggins said: “Last time we came in here, their pace kind of stunned us a little bit. This time we prepared for it, we were ready and had a team effort defensively to try to slow them down.”
Mitchell said: “I think the biggest thing is we switched, we helped one another, we were in the gaps. They didn’t really see the openings like they used to see.”
▪ If the Heat beats Atlanta, Miami’s first-round pick in June would go to Oklahoma City but the Heat would keep its 2026 first-round pick.
If the Heat loses in Atlanta, the Heat would keep its first-round pick (likely 11th, with a small chance to move into the top four or drop a few spots), and Oklahoma City would get Miami’s first-round pick in 2026.
The Heat definitely will get Golden State’s first-round pick in June, as a result of the Jimmy Butler trade. Whether that pick is 18th, 19th or 20th will be determined by random drawing at 3 p.m. Monday.
▪ If the Heat wins Friday, Miami would play Games 1 and 2 in Cleveland at 7 p.m. Sunday and Wednesday, with Game 1 on TNT and Game 2 airing nationally on NBA TV and locally on FanDuel Sports Sun.
The Heat would host Game 3 at Kaseya Center at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 26 on TNT and would host Game 4 on Monday, April 28, with the time and TV information to be determined. If needed, Game 5 would be in Cleveland April 30, with Game 6 in Miami on May 2 and Game 7 in Cleveland on May 4.
▪ Nikola Jovic, out since Feb. 23 with a broken bone in his hand, appears to be nearing his return. On Tuesday, “he was able to go through the whole practice,” Spoelstra said.
The Heat listed Jovic (broken right hand), Pelle Larsson (right ankle sprain) and Kevin Love (return to competition reconditioning) as questionable for Friday’s play-in game against the Hawks. The rest of Miami’s standard 15-man roster is expected to be available.
The Hawks ruled out Kobe Bufkin (right shoulder surgery), Clint Capela (metacarpal ligament sprain), Jalen Johnson (left shoulder surgery) and Larry Nance Jr. (right medial femoral condyle fracture) for Friday’s play-in contest. Trae Young is probable with right Achilles tendinitis.
This story was originally published April 17, 2025 at 11:00 AM.
