The Miami Heat played Wednesday night against the Orlando Magic without Jimmy Butler.
Instead, the fans witnessed a masterful performance from Tyler Herr, who showed why they missed him so much. Herro had 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists to lead the Heat to victory after their loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He led all Heat players in all statistical categories.
After a season of trade rumours sending him out of Miami, Herro proved the speculators wrong with an All-Star-worthy start to the season.
And it’s not just Herro. Bam Adebayo was right behind him in the offense with 18 points and also showed why fans missed him in the starting lineup. Seven players scored in double figures for Miami, including Thomas Bryant, Haywood Highsmith and Josh Richardson.
Miami led by 24 points with just under 5.5 minutes to play, but the lead dwindled as the quarter went on. Even with the Heat’s sizeable lead, some fans were still worried that the team might squander it.
“Three and a half quarters of great basketball,” said one user. “We have to figure out how to play a full 12 minutes in the fourth quarter, but a win is still a win.”
Even with the win, fans were still concerned about the team’s inability to close out the game in the final quarter. It’s a trend that has been going on all season, and one that fans want to see reversed.
The Fever will play the Atlanta Hawks (12-15) on Friday night.