James Harden, Dwight Howard lead Rockets over Heat
Dwight Howard registered his 14th double-double this season, scoring 23 points and registering 13 rebounds, to help the Houston Rockets easily get by the Miami Heat, 115-79. The Rockets shot 41-82 (50.0%) from the field and dominated the offensive glass, pulling down 17 boards. Houston (23-10) picked up the win after falling to the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.
Howard went 9-13 from the field, in an efficient offensive performance. Houston also got solid performances from James Harden with 28 points and five rebounds, and Josh Smith with 12 points and six rebounds. On 4-12 shooting (1-4 on 3-point attempts), in addition to going 6-8 from the free throw line, Chris Bosh scored 15 points for Miami in the loss.
Along with their eFG% of 57.9%, the Rockets connected at a rate of 43.3% from 3-point range. On the season, they are undefeated (4-0) when they record marks above 55% and 40% in those respective categories. Conversely, the Heat are 1-10 when allowing their opponents to reach those percentages.
Miami (14-20) has now lost four in a row.
Coming up next, the Rockets battle the Chicago Bulls, who are 23-10 on the year. The Heat match up with the Brooklyn Nets, currently 16-16 this season. The Heat have come away with a win the last two games against Brooklyn.
