Heat vs. Rockets Takeaways: One Defensive Mishap Does Not Tell A Full Story

The Houston Rockets sustained a heartbreaking loss to the Miami Heat Friday night, but their defeat goes beyond Jimmy Butler's game-winning basket.

The Houston Rockets (13-43) sustained another heartbreaking loss in a 97-95 defeat to the Miami Heat (31-25) inside FTX Arena. Here are three takeaways from the Rockets' loss.

Learning how to execute down the stretch:

The defensive mishap that resulted in a game-winning basket for Jimmy Butler sent the Rockets to their second consecutive heartbreaking loss. But in the words of Jae'Sean Tate, one play does not define a game.

"At the end of the day, one play does not define the game," Tate said. "I felt we should have been more aggressive, especially me. I felt like we could have gotten better results on the offensive end. There were things from start to finish that could have led to a better outcome."

The Rockets held an 89-84 lead with 3 minutes and 40 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Tate revealed the team began to focus on the clock rather than execute down the stretch. 

On the offensive end, the Rockets had nine possessions during the final three minutes. Houston scored three times and committed four turnovers. On the defensive end, the Rockets fouled Jimmy Butler three times and gave up a huge triple by Tyler Herro with 24 seconds left in the final period.

"It's not just offensive execution down the stretch, it's also the defensive execution down the stretch," coach Stephen Silas said. "This game was just another lesson learned. It's just the little things."

TyTy Washington Jr. deserves to be in the rotation:

With Eric Gordon traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, Silas made changes to his lineup against the Heat. Jae'Sean Tate started in the backcourt alongside Jalen Green, which gave rookie point guard TyTy Washington Jr. more minutes off the bench.

Washington provided Houston with a major lift. He recorded six points, six rebounds and five assists. Washington connected on a floater with 3 minutes and 40 seconds left in the fourth quarter. His basket gave the Rockets a late five-point advantage.

Tyler Herro continues to destroy the Rockets:

Tyler Herro did not have a 40-point performance Friday night. But he came close to replicating his play from Dec. 15. He finished with 31 points on 11-20 shooting, 5-10 from behind the arc.

During the Heat's two-game series against the Rockets, Herro averaged 36.0 points with 15 made triples.

Best performance:

Jabari Smith Jr. had one of his best performances as a rookie. He knocked down his first four shots en route to an 11-point first quarter. He finished with 22 points (8-of-16 FG, 3-of-9 3PT), eight rebounds and a block in the loss.

Worst performance:

Jalen Green scored the basket that gave the Rockets a chance to send the game into overtime. But outside the clutch basket, Green had another subpar performance following a 40-point night. 

In the two games following a 40-point performance, Green came into Miami averaging 14.5 points on 28.8 percent shooting. Following a 41-point game Wednesday against the Sacramento Kings, Green finished with 11 points on 5-of-19 shooting, 0-of-9 from behind the arc against the Heat.

Final Words:

"We have to learn these lessons. If we were switching, then this one would have been on me. But we weren't." — Stephen Silas

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You can follow Coty M. Davis on Twitter at @CotyDavis_24

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