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[Saba Sports News] Tyler Herro is having the best season of his career, but Wednesday night’s game against the Chicago Bulls is one he’ll likely want to forget.
With the Miami Heat trailing 114-106 in the final minute, Herro hit a clutch corner three to cut the deficit to five.
On the very next possession, he came up big again—stealing the ball and racing toward what looked like a guaranteed fast-break layup. But then, bafflingly, Herro pulled up from beyond the arc for another three-pointer instead of taking the high-percentage shot.
The risky attempt missed, and the Bulls capitalized. They secured the rebound, pushed the ball up the court, and found Matas Buzelis wide open for a dagger three-pointer that extended their lead back to eight. That shot sealed a 119-111 win for Chicago.
Strategically, Herro’s decision was as questionable as it gets. Rather than take a near-certain two points and make it a one-possession game with about 40 seconds left, Herro opted for a lower-percentage three when time and game context didn’t require it.
Had he gone for the layup, Miami could’ve forced the Bulls to burn a timeout and played for a stop, retaining a realistic chance to tie or win.
It was a rare moment of poor judgment in what has otherwise been a stellar season for Herro. The 25-year-old earned his first All-Star selection this year and is averaging career highs with 23.8 points and 5.5 assists per game.
But this late-game lapse may end up as one of the season’s most talked-about gaffes—perhaps even rivaling another infamous brain cramp by an All-Star last month who forgot the score in crunch time.
Herro has been exceptional this year—but this particular moment won’t be making his season highlight reel.