Recap: Houston Rockets 106 – Miami Heat 103
After starting a new winning streak on Saturday vs the Detroit Pistons, the Houston Rockets are now looking to keep the streak going when they faced the Miami Heat tonight. Could the Rockets rise up to the challenge and defeat the 2 time defending NBA champions?
In the first quarter, the Houston Rockets couldn’t get off to a better start. Coming into this game, the Rockets knew that they could not afford a slow start against a tough team. They came out of the gates hitting shots from all over the court. Patrick Beverley had himself a quarter with 3 three pointers along with great defense. The Rockets defense as a team however, could have been a little better, but they did what they had to do to maintain the lead. At the end of the quarter, the Rockets led 39-32.
To the second quarter they went. This quarter had a different look to it. After having basically all of the starters play the whole first quarter, coach McHale then brought players off the bench to keep it going. Unfortunately, the bench wasn’t very productive in this game. The Rockets’ bench really struggled and Miami had climbed back in the game. Whether it was Dwyane Wade or LeBron James, the Heat kept making things interesting. Although the Rockets weren’t as hot in the 2nd quarter as they were in the 1st quarter, they headed into halftime only leading by 1. The score was 53-52.
As the second half rolled along, the Rockets knew that they had to come out and make a statement. With the Heat within 1, the Rockets knew that they needed to score and get stops. Sure enough, they did. Just like in the first quarter, the Houston Rockets were firing away to start off the 3rd quarter. All of the starters contributed in building a comfortable lead again. The Heat looked puzzled on what to do. Whether it was getting Dwight the ball down low, or settling for easy jumpers, the Rockets’ starters almost did a repeat of the 1st quarter. Heading into the final quarter, the Rockets led 83-73.
Well, we have finally reached the fourth quarter. Did the Rockets end up holding off the Heat? Starting off the 4th quarter, McHale put the bench in to try and give the starters rest. Well, they were still very unproductive in this game. The Heat went on a mini run, and all of a sudden, they were making things interesting. About halfway or more through the quarter, the Rockets’ starters checked back in to try and hold the lead and not let it slip away. James Harden started taking over, but the Heat never gave up. Whether it was turnovers or missed free throws, the Miami heat were only down by 3, 106-103, with minimal time left. Well, who has the “hot hand” for the Heat? Although Michael Beasley kept on knocking down 3’s, nobody loves to have the ball in their hands with a game on the line like LeBron James does. Dwight Howard ended up going out to the 3 point line to defend and LeBron had to take a contested three, and it did not go in. The Houston Rockets have held off the Miami Heat by a score of 106-103!
Tonight’s Box Score & Highlights
It was a very entertaining and hard fought win for the Rockets. No wins like these are easy. The Rockets now head out to Orlando to face the Orlando Magic tomorrow. The game is scheduled for 6pm CT and can be seen on CSN Houston.