It’s the second game of a back-to-back set for the Houston Rockets, who are coming off of a win last night against the Charlotte Hornets. They’ll be taking on the Miami Heat back home at the Toyota Center, and they’ll also be back in the hole on the injury front. Kenneth Faried and Iman Shumpert, who were injured in last night’s contest, will both be out tonight. And in somewhat of a surprise, Eric Gordon will also be out tonight with a sore knee. Rockets guard Eric Gordon is out with a sore knee. Gerald Green to start. — Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) February 28, 2019 The Rockets are facing another under .500 team, but as we’ve seen time and again with this year’s squad, that’s no guarantee of a victory. The short rotation means we’re likely to see at least some of Terrence Jones, who was a -8 in one minute of action last night, a feat pretty impressive for its awfulness. He also ran into James Harden at one point and generally looked completely out of sorts. Hopefully, we see Gary Clark instead. As for the Heat, they’ll be without James Johnson and Hassan Whiteside. Make sure you check out AK’s preview before the game. Go Rockets!<doc-sep>-- "Seeding is probably more important," he said. "I think we're probably OK because the starting group played together for a year. We're OK there, just as long as each guy physically is in a good spot. I think as a team we're OK."<doc-sep>It looked as if the Houston Rockets were going to suffer another one of those disheartening losses to an under .500 team. It was the second half, they were down double digits, and the defense couldn’t stop a thing. After falling behind by 21, The Beard turned on the afterburners, finishing with 58 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists, and 4 steals, and he shot 16-32 from the field, 8-18 from three, and a perfect 18-18 from the free throw line to lead the Rockets to a come-from-behind 121-118 victory over the Miami Heat. The Rockets also got 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists from Chris Paul, and though he was just 4-12 from the field and 1-6 from deep, he hit a mid-range dagger with time running down to help close out the win for the Rockets. This was Houston’s fourth win in a row, but for a while, it appeared they were going to get blown out. The defense was sluggish and a step slow most of the night, giving up 118 points on 51 percent from the field, 15-28 from deep, and 46 points in the paint, including 32 in the first half alone. But they were able to put the clamps on when it mattered, holding Miami to just 20 points in the fourth quarter. Combine that with MVBeard’s supernova, and you got another win for the good guys in red despite being shorthanded. Eric Gordon, Kenneth Faried, and Iman Shumpert all missed tonight’s game with injury. In addition to Harden and CP3, the Rockets also got 14 points and 5 rebounds from spot starter Gary Clark. He hit also hit three triples, and it was nice to see the rook step up in time of need. Austin Rivers also made a major impact, hitting on 7-8 from the field for 17 points, including 3 threes. The Rockets were 19-46 from deep as a team. The Heat were led by Kelly Olynyk and Goran Dragic who had 21 apiece, as the Heat had seven players finish in double figures, including all five starters. Justise Winslow had 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists, Josh Richardson had 18, Dwyane Wade had 12, Dion Waiters had 11, and Bam Adebayo finished with 10, but they were still no match for Harden’s heroics. The Rockets now move to 37-25 on the season and are now just 1.5 games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Portland Trail Blazers, who are tied for third in the Western Conference standings. Houston is now off until Sunday, when they travel to Boston to take on the Celtics in a nationally televised contest on ABC. The Beard will be looking for another feather in his MVP cap, this time in front of a massive audience.<doc-sep>
The first game of the season between the Houston Rockets and Miami Heat is a memorable one for Rockets fans, as it featured a hamstring injury that kept Chris Paul off the court for almost two months. Tonight marks Dwyane Wade’s final game in Houston (unless something really crazy happens in the playoffs). Wade is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and he hit his fifth career buzzer beater last night to knock off the Golden State Warriors. So you can expect the Heat to get the “Warriors win bump” that most teams enjoy after beating the defending champions. The first time these teams met, it was a defensive slugfest with both teams shooting solidly below 40% from the field. With how poorly Houston has been defending of late, the guess is that the game will feature a few more fireworks than the 101-99 matchup provided. Goran Dragic has been coming off the bench for the Heat since his return from injury, and he dropped 27 points against the Warriors. He’s probably not long for the bench as the Heat gear up for a playoff push. Another player looking to have a big night is Houston native Justise Winslow. Hassan Whiteside and James Johnson are day-to-day for the Heat. For Houston, Nene is day-to-day, and Kenneth Faried and Iman Shumpert are dealing with minor issues that might hold them out. This is a game that Houston should be favored to win. More than anything, I would like to see the Rockets get a double-digit lead and then proceed to not give it away immediately. Tip-off is at 7pm CT