Rockets-Heat Preview

By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO
Posted Feb 06 2013 12:58AM

Dominance at home is one of the key reasons the Miami Heat are atop the Eastern Conference.

The Houston Rockets displayed their own superiority while tying an NBA record in their last game.

LeBron James looks to continue his own superb stretch by helping the Heat beat the surging Rockets for a seventh consecutive time Wednesday night.

Miami (31-14) leads the East by a half-game over Atlantic Division-leading New York thanks in part to a 19-3 home record.

James kept the Heat rolling there Monday, pouring in 31 points while hitting 13 of 14 from the floor in a 99-94 victory over Charlotte to open this five-game homestand.

"I didn't plan it that way, I was just attacking when I could, got into the paint and was able to make some shots," said James, who made nine shots from two feet or closer.

James hasn't missed much lately, connecting on 60.4 percent from the field in Miami's last 11 games. He also had a triple-double in that stretch, and came two boards and two assists shy of another against the Bobcats.

"If he knows and feels he's close to a triple double, he doesn't let that affect his game," coach Erik Spoelstra said. "He's not going to be one of those guys that will throw it off the backboard and try to get a rebound."

James is averaging 30.8 points on 55.4 percent shooting in four games against Houston (27-23) since joining the Heat.

He dominated the latest meeting Nov. 12, scoring 32 of his 38 points in the second half - to go along with 10 boards and six assists - and hitting a driving layup with 19 seconds left to put Miami ahead for good in a 113-110 win.

The Heat are averaging 112.3 points during a six-game winning streak over the Rockets, and there's plenty of reason to believe this will be another high-scoring affair considering Houston has put up 117.2 per game while winning five of its last six overall.

The Rockets' latest performance wound up being one for the history books as they tied an NBA record with an eye-popping 23 3-pointers while pounding Golden State 140-109 on Tuesday. That matched Orlando's mark from Jan. 13, 2009.

It was Houston's highest-scoring game that ended in regulation since getting 149 points against Philadelphia on Feb. 16, 1993.

"Thankfully, we were just able to get a bunch of open looks and knock them down," guard Jeremy Lin said. "That's just the way it is sometimes."

Lin led the way, sinking a career-high five from long range while going 10 for 16 from the floor to finish with a game-high 28 points and nine assists.

He has topped 20 points in two of the last three games, but has totaled 17 points while shooting 4 of 19 with 10 turnovers in two career regular-season games against Miami.

Lin had nine points and six assists against the Heat in November, while Chandler Parsons had 25 while hitting half of his 10 attempts from 3-point range.

Parsons scored 23 points with four steals in a 97-88 loss April 22 in Houston's most recent visit to Miami.

He's been on a tear from beyond the arc over the last three games, sinking 10 of 21 while averaging 20.3 points.

James, Wade score 63, Heat top Rockets 114-108

By TIM REYNOLDS
Posted Feb 06 2013 11:22PM

MIAMI (AP) On a night when the Miami Heat allowed more than 11 points over their season average, and against a team that has made scoring look amazingly easy over the last couple weeks, three plays in the final minute made all the difference.

And all were on the defensive end.

Mario Chalmers and Udonis Haslem each took a charge in the final 46 seconds, Dwyane Wade blocked a 3-point try by James Harden to essentially seal the outcome, and the Heat held off the Houston Rockets 114-108 on Wednesday night.

"We held them to 108," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "That team can score."

The Rockets, who scored 140 points and tied an NBA record with 23 makes from 3-point range on Tuesday night against Golden State, have averaged 118.5 points in their last six games. Harden, who led all scorers with 36 points, scored 16 in the fourth quarter alone for the Rockets, who rallied from what was a 17-point deficit in the second half to make it a one-possession game.

But they never got closer.

Chalmers stepped in front of Harden to draw an offensive foul with 46 seconds left, and Haslem took one against James Anderson with 18 ticks remaining and the Heat hanging onto a three-point lead. Wade blocked Harden's shot with about 11 seconds left, and the Heat escaped with their 20th home win in 23 tries this season.

"We had a tough run scoring the basketball," said Harden, who added 12 rebounds and seven assists. "We even got stops, but the big plays where we needed to make a play, they got stops - so that was the difference in the ballgame."

The Heat offense played a role as well, naturally.

LeBron James scored 32 points on 11 for 18 shooting, and Wade added 31 points and eight assists. Shane Battier scored 12, Norris Cole added 10 and Haslem - starting for Chris Bosh, who missed the game with the flu - grabbed 13 rebounds for Miami.

Houston got a 15-point, 14-rebound night from Omer Asik and 15 more points from Patrick Patterson. Jeremy Lin and Chandler Parsons each scored 13 for the Rockets, who were 9 for 25 from beyond the arc, one night after their record-tying show against the Warriors.

"They have no quit in them and it starts with their head coach," James said of the Rockets. "They've been through a lot and first of all, my condolences still to Kevin McHale and his family with what they've been through this year. It's very sad, but this team never gives up. They had 140 points last night and tied the NBA record in 3s, so we knew we had to defend the 3, but we made enough plays down the stretch and got enough stops."

McHale was away from the Rockets for nearly a month earlier this season after his 23-year-old daughter died of complications from Lupus.

Wednesday's game had a distinct trend: Miami would try to take control, Houston would claw back.

And it held true all the way to the end.

Even with Miami up 12 with 6 minutes left, the Rockets had enough left for one more rally. Harden was fouled shooting a 3-pointer with 2:29 left, made all three shots, and the Rockets were within 104-101. Battier answered with a 3-pointer to restore Miami's six-point edge, and a 3 from Harden got the Rockets within 109-106.

That's when the Heat took charge - well, charges. And they were huge.

"You have to have great timing, great courage to put your body in there. But those were big," Spoelstra said.

Wade and James both reached double digits in scoring by the end of the first quarter, with Miami ending the period up 32-30 after the teams shot a combined 63 percent. Houston, which was down by 10 in the first, used a 30-15 run to build a seven-point lead around the midpoint the second quarter, before the Heat closed the half on a 20-6 run to bring a seven-point lead into the locker room.

The third quarter was more of the same, with the Heat going on a big run, and Houston answering.

James, whose 13-for-14 effort from the field on Monday night came with him never venturing far from the rim to shoot - his average make that night being just over 3 feet in length - connected on three 3-pointers in the third. Two of them were in a 25-second span as the Heat opened on a 14-4 run that gave the reigning NBA champions a 77-60 lead.

And back came Houston.

The Rockets went on a 21-8 run to get within 87-83, and 3-pointer by Patterson opened the fourth-quarter scoring and cut Miami's lead to three. Miami answered with an 11-2 run, but predictably, that wasn't enough to put things away.

The Rockets had enough for one more run, and the Heat had enough to hang on one more time.

"They're one of the toughest teams to guard," Wade said. "To win this game, we had to get stops - key stops. And I thought we were able to do that."

NOTES: James made his first three shots on Wednesday, meaning he made 17 of 18 shots from the field in a span that started with his last attempt at Toronto on Sunday. ... All five Rockets starters scored in double figures, the third time in the last four games that's happened. ... James scored his 5,000th point in a Heat uniform, the ninth player to do so. He did it in 187 games, 31 fewer than Wade needed to score 5,000 for the franchise. ... Nick Aquilino, the son of Heat neuromuscular therapist Vinny Aquilino, performed the national anthem.

Notebook: Heat 114, Rockets 108

Zachary Paul, for NBA.com
Posted Wed Feb 06, 2013 11:00 PM - Updated Wed Feb 06, 2013 11:00 PM

THE FACTS: The Miami Heat defeated the Houston Rockets 114-108 Wednesday at AmericanAirlines Arena.

The Heat received big games from forward LeBron James and guard Dwyane Wade, who combined to score 63 points. The duo shot 20-for-36 from the field, helping Miami to its third straight victory.

The Heat led by as many as 17 in the second half before holding off a late Rockets run. Houston closed to within three, 104-101, with 2:29 left less than four minutes remaining. The rally was stopped on the next possession when Shane Battier hit a 3-pointer from the corner. The key play late came when Mario Chalmers drew a charge on James Harden with the Rockets trailing by three.

Harden led the Rockets with 36 points.

QUOTABLE: "We held them to 108 [points]. That team can score. Even when we had an opportunity in the second half to get a double-digit lead, they came right back. That's what they do."
-- Heat coach Erik Spoelstra

THE STAT: Despite being undersized, the Heat were able hold their own on the boards. Udonis Haslem finished with a game-high 13 rebounds.

TURNING POINT: Trailing 50-43, the Heat went on a 12-0 run late in the second quarter. Miami never trailed again.

QUOTABLE II: "We had some breakaways and some shots we could have gotten in, but we just didn't make the plays."
-- Rockets coach Kevin McHale

HOT: James continues to score with efficiency. He shot a high clip for the second straight game, and has made 60 percent of his field goal attempts in the last 12 games.

NOT: It was an off shooting night for Rockets guard Jeremy Lin, who continues to struggle when facing the Heat. Lin was just 3-for-10 from the field. He finished with 13 points, but the bulk of his scoring came at the free-throw line.

GOOD MOVE: The Heat went to James and Wade early and often. The duo has their way in the paint and on the perimeter. James started by making 11 of his first 15 shots while Wade started the game 7-for-12.

BAD MOVE: After tying the NBA record with 23 3-pointers the night before, the Rockets weren't as successful from the arc. They finished just 9-for-25 from the 3-point line.

NOTABLE: Heat center Chris Bosh did not play because of the flu. He is expected to be ready for Friday's game against the Clippers ... The Heat improved to 20-3 at home.

UP NEXT: For the Heat, Friday vs. L.A. Clippers, Sunday vs. L.A. Lakers, Tuesday vs. Portland. For the Rockets, Friday vs. Portland, Sunday @ Sacramento, Tuesday @ Golden State.

• Rockets: Jones, White
• Heat: Bosh, Pittman

• Rockets: --
• Heat: --

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 6

• Arena: American Airlines Arena, Miami, FL
• Officials: #24 Mike Callahan, #33 Sean Corbin, #77 Karl Lane
• Attendance: 19693
• Duration: 2:22