Whiteside’s double-double not enough as Rockets outlast Miami Heat
By Cory Sanning
The Miami Heat closed out their road trip with a loss to the Houston Rockets.
The Miami Heat have excelled on the court in recent weeks.
Having won two of their last three games, they were hoping to carry that momentum into Tuesday night’s showdown with the Houston Rockets. Unfortunately for the Heat and fans in South Florida, that’s not how it went down.
Despite 22 points, 13 rebounds and three steals from Hassan Whiteside, Miami fell to the Rockets on the road, 99-90. It was the second-lowest point total Houston had given up on the season.
Wayne Ellington scored 13 points in his second start and Josh Richardson had 12. Despite the Heat shooting 48 percent from the field, they turned the ball over 16 times in another team’s building.
James Harden led Houston with 28 points, followed by Chris Paul and Eric Gordon each with 16.
The Rockets are now 18-0 when Harden, Paul and Clint Capella are all active. They also won, in spite of the fact that they were outshot from the field (48 to 44).
Miami raced out to an early 12-5 lead in the opening minutes, an advantage that eventually ballooned its way up to 26-12, before the Rockets fought their way back to an eight-point deficit heading into the second quarter.
The Heat saw their offensive momentum disappear during that period, scoring just 17 points across 12 minutes and heading into the intermission with just a four-point lead. Whiteside was Miami’s lone offensive force in the first half, scoring 18 points and toying with Houston’s front line as they appeared helpless to stop him.
The second half would prove to be a different story for both teams, and the Heat found itself on the short end of the stick when it was all said and done.
Led by Harden, the Rockets opened the third period on a 6-2 run, to even the score before finishing off a 25-point quarter with a 71-68 lead.
Houston would not let up there, either.
Finishing the game off with a 28-22 fourth quarter advantage, the Rockets used a team effort in the fourth to hold off the reeling Heat, who were desperately missing the scoring of point guard Goran Dragic.
Despite the score being tied at 88 with just over four minutes to play, the Rockets used an 11-2 run in the waning minutes to seal the victory.
"“They finished and finished in high fashion, making shots, and we struggled to get clean looks on the other end,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said."
The Heat now sit at 27-20 through 47 games, far superior than their record at this time a year ago. Miami will return home for a two-game stand against the Sacramento Kings and Charlotte Hornets, before catching planes to Dallas and Cleveland next week.
Judging by how events have been turning as of late, Heat fans need not fret.
Next: Miami Heat: Could the team benefit from a player loaning program?
There are still plenty of games to be played, and Spoelstra has this group exactly where they need to be, especially considering their poor start.