Tyler Herro spoke after the Heat’s 123-118 OT win against the Mavericks. When asked about Jimmy Butler’s no-look layup that gave them the lead with a minute remaining. Poking fun at his teammate, Herro joked that it was a lucky shot, earning several laughs from the reporters and other players in the room.
“That s*** was lucky as hell.”
With 1:03 remaining, Jimmy Butler drove to the hoop for an attempt but was contested by Mavericks’ youngster Dereck Lively II. Butler mid-air turned his back to Lively and let the ball out in a hail-mary attempt, presumably trying to draw the foul, only for it to go in and give the Heat the 112-111 lead over the Mavericks.
The Mavericks would take the lead back with seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, only for Butler to tie the game up and send the Heat to overtime. In overtime, Butler would score 3 of the Heat’s 9 points to help seal the comeback win and put the Heat at .500 for the first time this season, with a record of 7-7. They now hold the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Mavericks will be disappointed with the result, as they had control of the game for most of the playing period, but let the win get away from them. The absence of Luka Doncic on the offensive end was felt, especially in overtime, as the Mavericks scored just 4 points in overtime, causing them to lose the game.
The Mavericks, despite being considered favorites this season after their run to the NBA Finals, have continued their form as a middling and inconsistent team. With a record of 9-8, they sit ninth in the Western Conference, barely holding on to a play-in position this year.
Jimmy Butler Wants To Be More Aggressive
Jimmy Butler spoke after the game about what the other Heat players and coaches demanded from him. He noted that the player and coach Erik Spoelstra have asked him to be more aggressive, as it helps the whole team. Butler added that he must be more aggressive on defense as well as offense.
“Yeah, maybe. I feel like I gotta start attacking more often. Whenever I’m aggressive like the guys want me to be, like Coach Spo is always telling me to be, it opens up a lot more for everybody else. If I can spearhead that part of the offense, we’re good. Now I just gotta figure out how to do it on the defensive end.”
Butler played really well, putting up 33 points (11-17 FG), 11 rebounds, and five assists, while shooting 11-16 from the free-throw line. For the season, he is averaging 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.4 blocks.
Butler seems to be overcoming his slow start to the season, as his numbers improve with every passing game. His performances will be crucial to the Heat, as he is by far their best player and will be relied upon in the regular season and the playoffs to get the Heat some wins.
