Red-Hot Rockets Visit Miami
The Rockets will head to Miami on Thursday to take on the Heat at American Airlines Arena.
The Rockets (16-14) are finally starting to look like last year's 65-win team, as they head into Miami riding a five-game winning streak following a 136-118 win over the Wizards. The victory came with Houston finally looking like a Mike D'Antoni-coached team, as they shot 55 threes as a team and made 26 of them (47.2 percent). James Harden was again fantastic in the victory, scoring a game-high 35 points to go along with nine assists and three rebounds in 34 minutes. Now, over the course of this five-game winning streak, Harden is averaging 38.6 points, 7.8 assists and 6.4 rebounds per game while shooting 41.2 percent from behind the arc. As a result, the Rockets are two games over .500 for the first time this season.
The Heat (13-16) are still looking to find the stride of last year's playoff team, but they have rattled off two surprising road wins in a row against the Pelicans and Grizzlies. Now, they'll get the Rockets in an advantageous spot Thursday, with the visiting team playing its third game in four nights on the road. Miami, however, did get some unfortunate injury news Wednesday, as it was announced that point guard Goran Dragic would be undergoing knee surgery and be out for two months. Now, with the Heat facing at least another eight weeks without having a true point guard on the roster, head coach Erik Spoelstra will continue to use a varying cast of characters as his floor leaders. They range from Justise Winslow to Tyler Johnson to Josh Richardson, but right now, whatever the head coach is doing is starting to work.
The Rockets (16-14) are finally starting to look like last year's 65-win team, as they head into Miami riding a five-game winning streak following a 136-118 win over the Wizards. The victory came with Houston finally looking like a Mike D'Antoni-coached team, as they shot 55 threes as a team and made 26 of them (47.2 percent). James Harden was again fantastic in the victory, scoring a game-high 35 points to go along with nine assists and three rebounds in 34 minutes. Now, over the course of this five-game winning streak, Harden is averaging 38.6 points, 7.8 assists and 6.4 rebounds per game while shooting 41.2 percent from behind the arc. As a result, the Rockets are two games over .500 for the first time this season.
The Heat (13-16) are still looking to find the stride of last year's playoff team, but they have rattled off two surprising road wins in a row against the Pelicans and Grizzlies. Now, they'll get the Rockets in an advantageous spot Thursday, with the visiting team playing its third game in four nights on the road. Miami, however, did get some unfortunate injury news Wednesday, as it was announced that point guard Goran Dragic would be undergoing knee surgery and be out for two months. Now, with the Heat facing at least another eight weeks without having a true point guard on the roster, head coach Erik Spoelstra will continue to use a varying cast of characters as his floor leaders. They range from Justise Winslow to Tyler Johnson to Josh Richardson, but right now, whatever the head coach is doing is starting to work.
Staples Center Site for Mavericks and Clippers
The Dallas Mavericks (15-14) have dropped three straight match-ups, their latest defeat coming on the road on Tuesday night to the first place Denver Nuggets, 126-118. While the Mavs were simply outgunned in the affair, two of their starters were beneficiaries of double-doubles, including rookie Luka Doncic, who recorded 23 points and 12 assists, shooting 10-of-12 from the free throw line in the process. DeAndre Jordan dropped 11 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, while Harrison Barnes led the team in scoring on the back of a 30-point performance, going 10-of-16 from the field and 5-of-8 from beyond the arc. Jordan is averaging 13.8 boards per game, second only to Andre Drummond. Wesley Matthews delivered 14 points and 4 three-pointers of his own for a Dallas team that has won only two games away from home this season. The Mavs have fallen to ninth place in the Western Conference, a half game behind the eighth place Sacramento Kings.
Monday night saw the Los Angeles Clippers (17-13) lose a heartbreaker to the visiting Portland Trail Blazers, 131-127, dropping their fourth straight and six of their last seven. The defeat wasn't for a lack of trying for Tobias Harris, who had a monster outing with 39 points, 11 rebounds, shooting 15-of-22 from field goal range, 3-of-6 from long deep and 6-of-8 from the foul line. Rookie Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put up 24 points, going 9-of-15 from the paint, while Danilo Gallinari recorded 22 points, five rebounds and three assists, making all eight of his shot attempts from the charity stripe. Patrick Beverley had a double-double in a reserve capacity, with 10 points and 11 assists to his credit, as L.A. tumbles to sixth place in the West. Things may get tougher for the Clippers through the holidays, with tough contests against the Nuggets and Golden State Warriors in the next week.
Monday night saw the Los Angeles Clippers (17-13) lose a heartbreaker to the visiting Portland Trail Blazers, 131-127, dropping their fourth straight and six of their last seven. The defeat wasn't for a lack of trying for Tobias Harris, who had a monster outing with 39 points, 11 rebounds, shooting 15-of-22 from field goal range, 3-of-6 from long deep and 6-of-8 from the foul line. Rookie Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put up 24 points, going 9-of-15 from the paint, while Danilo Gallinari recorded 22 points, five rebounds and three assists, making all eight of his shot attempts from the charity stripe. Patrick Beverley had a double-double in a reserve capacity, with 10 points and 11 assists to his credit, as L.A. tumbles to sixth place in the West. Things may get tougher for the Clippers through the holidays, with tough contests against the Nuggets and Golden State Warriors in the next week.