TYLER Herro tied a career high with 35 points to lead the Miami Heat to a 110-108 win over the host Oklahoma City (OKC) Thunder on Wednesday.
Mr. Herro had a career-high nine 3-pointers as the Heat set a franchise record with 24 3-pointers. But it was inside the arc where Mr. Herro came through for the decisive bucket. Mr. Herro drained a pullup jumper with 5.7 seconds remaining to break a tie, and Miami held on after a timeout.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed a jumper in the closing seconds. Josh Giddey grabbed the rebound, but his shot hit off the bottom of the backboard to end the game, though Mr. Giddey argued for a foul call as Victor Oladipo and Dewayne Dedmon surrounded him.
Miami has won the first two games of a four-game road trip while the Thunder have lost four consecutive games.
The Heat led by as many as 21 in the first half, but the Thunder battled back to take a seven-point lead with four minutes remaining in the game. Miami finished with a 15-6 run, though, to escape with the win.
Mr. Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 27 points.
Mr. Herro took over to start the second quarter, hitting a trio of 3-pointers in the first 2:18 and scoring the first 11 points of the quarter. By late in the second, the Heat’s lead was stretched to 21.
Miami hit nine 3-pointers in the second quarter and had 16 at the half — both a franchise record for 3-pointers in a half for the Heat and the most the Thunder had ever allowed in a half. Mr. Herro scored 14 of his points in the second quarter.
Oklahoma City closed the first half on a 12-3 run over the final 3:13 to cut the deficit to 12 at the break. — Reuters