Jimmy Butler leads Heat past Jae’Sean Tate, Rockets on New Year’s Eve
Jimmy Butler was questionable going into Friday with a right ankle sprain, but the five-time All-Star played through the pain and lifted his Miami Heat to a 120-110 road victory (box score) at Houston’s Toyota Center to spoil the New Year’s Eve home game for the Rockets.
Butler scored a game-high 37 points on 12-of-21 shooting (57.1%), including 11-of-11 on free throws and 2-of-3 on 3-pointers (66.7%). Reserve guard Kyle Guy added 17 points and 4 assists on 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point range (66.7%) — with nearly all coming in the first half.
That helped Miami (23-13) build a 25-point buffer in the second quarter, and while Houston (10-26) cut the lead to as little as 5 in the fourth, getting completely over the hump proved too much to ask.
In his first game since returning from a stint in the NBA’s health and safety protocols, Jae’Sean Tate led the Rockets with 22 points and 7 rebounds, shooting 9-of-15 from the field (60.0%) and 2-of-3 on 3-pointers (66.7%). Big man Christian Wood added 18 points (8-of-14 shooting, 57.1%), 8 rebounds, and 4 assists for Houston, while rookie Jalen Green scored 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting (45.5%) in 28 minutes.
Jae'Sean Tate in his #Rockets return:
22 points
7 rebounds
2 assists
2 steals
1 block9/15 FG
2/3 3FG
2/2 FT24 minutes
— Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) January 1, 2022
Fellow rookie Alperen Sengun left the game early with a right ankle sprain, though head coach Stephen Silas said postgame that he did not yet have an update about whether he would miss games moving forward.
The Rockets, who now enter 2022 looking to snap a six-game losing streak, will play the second end of a home New Year’s back-to-back on Saturday — with tipoff versus Denver set for 7:00 p.m. CST at Toyota Center. Until then, scroll on for Friday’s highlights and postgame reaction.
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Highlights
Stephen Silas
Stephen Silas on facing the shorthanded Heat, "They still have Lowry, Butler and Herro," and, "Miami has a way of doing things, and that's what we want to get to."
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) December 31, 2021
Rockets HC Stephen Silas says there is no update on rookie Alperen Sengun who missed the second half with a right ankle sprain. #Rockets #LightTheFuse pic.twitter.com/sxE61OvLJK
— BIG SARGE MEDIA LLC (@BigSargeSportz) January 1, 2022
Christian Wood
Christian Wood: "I think the referees got into our head a little bit."
— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) January 1, 2022
Christian Wood: “It was tough. I think the referees kind of got in our heads a little bit. We were playing good I think the second (quarter) throughout. I think the 1st quarter kind of hurt us and we had to tried and pick ourselves (up) out of a hole.” pic.twitter.com/dPwho6LRdE
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) January 1, 2022
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