The Miami Heat held off the Utah Jazz on Monday night to win thanks in large part to a fourth-quarter resurgence from rookie Tyler Herro.
The 13th overall pick recorded nine of his 17 total points in the final period, including a sequence where he scored six straight points for the Heat on three consecutive possessions.
Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell was the primary defender on Herro for those possessions and was brutally honest on his performance defending Herro after the game.
He kicked my ass for three straight possessions. Credit to him. He capitalized on my poor defense and I take the blame for that. That’s on me. He kicked my ass for three straight possessions and I had to be switched off on him.
‘Tyler Herro kicked my ass’ pic.twitter.com/qd1D5VhxAZ
— Brendan Tobin (@Brendan_Tobin) December 24, 2019
The period of time when Herro took over occurred at a crucial point in the game. The Jazz cut a 10-point deficit down to six as the Heat started missing several shots to allow Utah to stay alive. Herro then reeled off several buckets to hold off the Jazz and take the victory.
For his part, Mitchell finished with 13 points on 5-of-18 shooting from the field though he took full responsibility for his lack of defensive effort down the stretch. Leaders oftentimes take the blame in situations when it is needed as Mitchell did just that on Monday.
That lapse in defense by Michell likely won’t happen again.
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