Yahoo Finance Tyler Herro's roommate tests positive for COVID-19, could force him into quarantine
The Miami Heat may be without guard Tyler Herro for the foreseeable future after a roommate tested positive for COVID-19.
Herro said that he learned of the news during halftime of their 105-104 win over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night, though they weren’t sure if he needed to quarantine due to potential exposure.
“It’s crazy. We all know how crazy this time is going,” Herro said after the game, via the Miami Herald. “Someone who lives with me tested positive before the game and I found out at halftime. I don’t know. Hopefully I don’t have to quarantine. It’s just crazy what’s going on.”
It’s unclear who Herro lives with or when they tested positive. He is questionable for their game on Monday against the Charlotte Hornets, and didn’t practice with the team on Sunday.
Tyler Herro played after learning of potential exposure
Herro, despite receiving the news, played nearly 21 minutes in the second half of their one-point win at American Airlines Arena.
Herro finished with 15 points and four rebounds while shooting 5-of-12 and played 40 minutes in the contest.
Jimmy Butler — who returned after missing 10 straight games due to the NBA’s health and safety protocol — led Miami with 30 points and eight assists. He sealed the win with a bucket in the final minute, too, after the Heat gave up an 11-point fourth-quarter lead. De’Aaron Fox led Sacramento with 30 points, six rebounds and six assists. Buddy Hield dropped 18 points, and Marvin Bagley added 17 points.
“The Heat is back on,” Herro said after the game, via the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “It’s just a stepping stone, just one box that we checked, finally got a win.
“It was great to have our leader back out there.”
Miami was short Goran Dragic, Avery Bradley and Moe Harkless due to injuries on Saturday, and coach Erik Spoelstra opted not to play Kendrick Nunn, either — as they didn’t have his coronavirus test results in time for tip. He was cleared by the second quarter.
“We were waiting for his test results,” Spoelstra said, via the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “At that point he wasn’t available in the first quarter, so I went a different direction ... It’s just one of those unfortunate things. I guess if those type of things are going to happen, it’ll happen to us.”
Heat still struggling with health and safety protocol
The Heat have been short-handed for quite some time now.
Miami lost eight players to the health and safety protocol earlier this month and had one game postponed due to contact tracing. They’ve also been forced to play with only eight players, the required minimum, due to contact tracing multiple times — though they dropped both of those games to the Philadelphia 76ers.
“We’re living with the punches right now,” Adebayo said Sunday, via the Miami Herald. “When we get fully healthy, we’re going to be alright. I feel like going through that is going to be better for us along the road just because we’ve had so many people in and out, changing the starting lineup 14 times, maneuvering people around.
“It’s going to get to a point where everybody, I feel like, is going to be cohesive and comfortable and able to adapt around each other’s play style even though nobody wants to have people sitting out during COVID. But this is the way of life right now. This is the way we got to handle it. We got to always think next man up.”
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