Miami's Tyler Herro among rookies making preseason noise

Add Miami's Tyler Herro to the list of rookies who look ready for the regular season.

Herro scored Miami's first 14 points on Monday night, going 5 for 5 in that stretch, and finished with 23 points in a 120-87 Heat victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

Through three games in this preseason, Herro — the No. 13 pick in this year's draft — is shooting 18 for 33 from the field for 49 points.

Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) dribbles against Miami Heat forward Justise Winslow (20) during the first half of an NBA preseason basketball game Monday, Oct. 14, 2019, in Miami. (AP PhotoBrynn Anderson)

"The kid can play," Heat assistant coach Malik Allen said in a televised halftime interview. "He has a confidence but he's a student of the game, he's smart, he's an extremely quick learner and you're seeing that."

Among those taken in June's draft, some have wasted no time in announcing their presence to the NBA world.

New Orleans' Zion Williamson, the No. 1 pick, is averaging 23.3 points and shooting 71% in the Pelicans' four preseason games — all wins. Ja Morant, the No. 2 pick for Memphis, is among the league's assist leaders in exhibition season with 23 in his first three games.

Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic (7) dribbles against Atlanta Hawks forward Jabari Parker (5) during the second half of an NBA preseason basketball game Monday, Oct. 14, 2019, in Miami. (AP PhotoBrynn Anderson)

No. 3 pick RJ Barrett is averaging 16 points for New York, No. 7 pick Coby White 16.8 points for Chicago and No. 28 pick Jordan Poole had 36 points in his first two games with Golden State entering Monday night.

Herro is only adding to what has been an impressive class.

"He just loves to play," Allen said. "He loves to play, he loves to be out there, he loves the moment."

Next week, the moments start for real.

HEAT 120, HAWKS 87

Herro's 23 led the way for Miami, which used an 18-2 second-quarter run to take control.

Bam Adebayo scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Heat, who are 3-0 in the preseason. Meyers Leonard also scored 15 and Derrick Jones Jr. scored 14 before leaving in the fourth quarter after bumping knees with Atlanta's John Collins.

Kendrick Nunn had 14 points in 14 minutes for Miami. Jimmy Butler scored seven points on 3 for 7 shooting in 26 1/2 minutes for the Heat.

Trae Young scored 23 points for Atlanta, and had seven more assists — giving him 23 in Atlanta's three preseason games. The Hawks were again without Kevin Huerter, who is working his way through some knee pain.

Collins scored 14 for Atlanta, which got 10 from Vince Carter.

HORNETS 120, GRIZZLIES 99

Charlotte got its first win of the preseason, with Terry Rozier finishing with 24 points and eight assists to help the Hornets beat the Memphis Grizzlies.

Dwayne Bacon scored 21 and Devonte' Graham added 18 for Charlotte. The Hornets closed the first quarter on a 26-9 run, then started the fourth quarter with a 26-4 burst to take control for good.

A pair of rookies stood out for Memphis: No. 21 pick Brandon Clarke had 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Morant finished with 15 points and six assists.

More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Paolo Banchero had 31 points and 14 rebounds, Jalen Suggs added 24 points and the Orlando Magic handed Cleveland the worst playoff loss in franchise history, winning 121-83 on Thursday night to cut the Cavaliers’ lead to 2-1 in their Eastern Conference first-round series.

Franz Wagner finished with 16 points and eight assists for the Magic, who led by 43 points in the fourth quarter on the way to the third-largest margin of victory in a playoff game. They earned their first playoff victory since 2019 and the first on their home floor since April 26, 2011.

They can even the series with a victory at home Sunday.

Jarrett Allen had 15 points and eight rebounds for the Cavaliers, who shot 39% from the field and 23.5% from 3-point range. Caris LeVert added 15 points and Donovan Mitchell had 13 points and seven assists.

76ERS 125, KNICKS 114

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid scored 50 points, making all four 3-point attempts and scoring 18 in a potential series-shifting third quarter to lead Philadelphia to a win over New York in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.

Embiid boldly stated “we’re going to win this series” after the 76ers dropped Game 2.

With one of the finest postseason efforts of his career, Embiid became the third player to ever score 50 points against the Knicks in the postseason and kept the hope of a Philadelphia series comeback very much alive.

The Knicks lead the series 2-1. Game 4 is Sunday in Philadelphia.

Embiid was 13 of 19 from the floor overall, made 19 of 21 free throws and hit five 3-pointers.

NUGGETS 112, LAKERS 105

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Aaron Gordon had 29 points and 15 rebounds, Nikola Jokic added 24 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists, and Denver moved to the brink of the second round with a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of their first-round series..

Jamal Murray scored 22 points as the defending NBA champion Nuggets won their 11th consecutive meeting with LeBron James and the Lakers in dominating style.

Michael Porter Jr. added 20 points for Denver, which took control in the third quarter and cruised through the final minutes to its fifth straight road win over Los Angeles, starting with its sweep of last season’s Western Conference finals.

Game 4 is Saturday night in Los Angeles. No NBA team has ever rallied from an 0-3 playoff deficit.

Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony (50) makes a shot as he gets past Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill (5) during the second half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)