Heat beat Bucks 137-95 in the opener, Herro scores 27 points
The Miami Heat opened their season with an easy 137-95 victory over the NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night, with Tyler Herro scoring 27 points in 24 minutes off the bench and Jimmy Butler adding 21.
The Heat set team records for scoring and margin of victory on opening night, with Bam Adebayo scoring 20 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. It was the second-largest margin of victory in NBA history, trailing only a 43-point victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in 1994.
The previous team record for points in an opening game was 128 against Detroit in 1999, and the largest margin of victory was 26 against Orlando in 2000.
Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo had 15 points and Grayson Allen had 14. For the Bucks, who played without Jrue Holiday (right heel), Brook Lopez (back), and Bobby Portis, Olympic gold medalist Khris Middleton scored 10 points on 4-for-14 shooting (left hamstring).
Milwaukee was outrebounded 58-38 by Miami.
🎶 kept them under a Buck like… pic.twitter.com/8XX2ELizxX
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) October 22, 2021
P.J. Tucker had eight points and six rebounds in his Miami debut against the club he helped win an NBA title a few months ago.
Tucker’s first foul of the game came just 38 seconds into the game when he reintroduced Antetokounmpo. Tucker also went flying in the second quarter while chasing down a loose ball, colliding with the Milwaukee bench and greeting occupants of some of the most expensive seats in the sold-out arena.
There was never any doubt about the conclusion. With the Heat up 22-3 after a 19-0 run in the first few minutes, Herro beat the first-quarter buzzer with a 30-footer to give Miami a 40-17 lead, which grew to 72-43 by halftime.
Milwaukee missed 13 consecutive shots and committed four turnovers during a nine-minute run in the first quarter. With 3:35 left in the half, the Bucks were within 53-38, but Miami scored the game’s next 14 points.
Herro’s 27 points came off the bench, tying a Heat record for a reserve player who played less than 25 minutes. On February 27, 2019, Goran Dragic scored 27 points in 20 minutes against Golden State; on February 27, 2018, Dwyane Wade scored 27 points in 25 minutes against Philadelphia.
P.J. Tucker had eight points and six rebounds in his Miami debut against the club he helped win an NBA title a few months ago.
Tucker’s first foul of the game came just 38 seconds into the game when he reintroduced Antetokounmpo. Tucker also went flying in the second quarter while chasing down a loose ball, colliding with the Milwaukee bench and greeting occupants of some of the most expensive seats in the sold-out arena.