Inside The Heat

Social Media Applauds Teammates For Defending Tyler Herro During Scuffle

Shandel Richardson

Dec 29, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Miami Heat guard Dru Smith (12) and Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson (1) pursue a loose ball during the second quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images
Dec 29, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Miami Heat guard Dru Smith (12) and Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson (1) pursue a loose ball during the second quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images / Erik Williams-Imagn Images
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They say the NBA lacks enforcers these days.

That isn't true if Sunday night was any indication. Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier morphed into Charles Oakley. And teammate Nikola Jovic became Bill Laimbeer.

Both were the first to come to the aid of Heat guard Tyler Herro after he was thrown to the ground by Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson late in the game. The Heat won 104-100 but what transpired in the final minute is what everyone will remember.

The Heat led by seven when everything broke loose. Herro and Thompson became entangled near the free throw line during an inbounds play. Rozier, who was throwing the ball in, made a beeline to the scuffle once it began. He got right in the middle, dropping to the floor to help Herro.

Not too far behind was Jovic. He came from the other end to enter the melee. The scuffle ended with no punches thrown but there were some casualties. Herro and Thompson were ejected. So were Rockets guard Jalen Green and coach Ime Udoka and assistant Ben Sullivan. Rozier was also tossed.

Rozier and Jovic were both applauded by Heat fans on social media. They immediately came to the rescue of their leading scorer. The ending was so wild it made Herro's solid game almost a footnote. He finished with 27 points, nine assists and six assists, helping the Heat bounce back from Saturday's loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here