The Miami Heat defeated the Houston Rockets, 111-108, at Toyota Arena on Thursday.

The Heat (15-15) and the Rockets (9-19) played a tight contest, but in the end, Miami came up with the victory after holding on in the second half following an impressive performance in the first half, particularly in the second quarter. The first quarter ended with a 29-29 tie, but the Heat pulled away in the second quarter and never looked back after outscoring their rivals by a 37-23 score. The Rockets showed signs of a potential comeback and won the third quarter by a 33-20 score, so the deficit was just one point with 12 minutes left in the game. However, the final 12 minutes were back and forth, but Miami managed to weather the storm. The Heat ended up winning the final quarter by a 25-23, and that allowed them to secure a tight three-point victory. With the win, Miami improved to 6-9 on the road while the Rockets fell to 6-6 at home.

Tyler Herro had an impressive game for the Heat and ended with 41 points in just 20 shots, while Jimmy Butler ended with 20 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, four steals and three blocks. They had more than 50 percent of the team’s total points haul. Caleb Martin had 13 points, and Max Strus recorded 12 points, five assists and four rebounds. Orlando Robinson finished with nine points.

All five starters for the Heat ended with double-digit scoring figures and Jalen Green turned out to be the team’s leading scorer – Green had 22 points, seven boards and three steals. Kevin Porter Jr. notched 21 points, but he also added seven boards, five assists and four steals. Jabari Smith recorded 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Eric Gordon and Alperen Sengun had double-doubles off the bench.