With some lackluster performances safely in the rearview mirror, the Miami Heat made it eight wins in nine games against another scrappy team fighting for a chance to make it to the playoffs. Just like their previous opponents the Philadelphia 76ers, the Houston Rockets had plenty of firepower spread through their roster to keep up with the Big 3's offensive output. But this was an historic night that hadn't been seen for more than 50 years with three players on the same time scoring 30 or more points and grabbing double-digit rebounds in the same non-overtime game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. But this wasn't a blowout victory and the Rockets made things interesting with their own high-scoring trio of Kevin Martin (29 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists), Luis Scola (28 points, 5 rebounds) and Kyle Lowry (25 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds).
Bosh had a fantastic night on the offensive floor but he simply couldn't contain Scola, who was just as crafty getting to the rim and getting clean looks at the basket with a variety of post-up moves, fakes, spins and a reliable mid-range jumper. The Heat can be effective on both sides of the floor when they go small out on the floor with LeBron at the 4 and Bosh in the middle but the results were mixed in this game in both halves.
Nice applause from the home crowd for Big Z after missing several games with his foot injury. While he may have lost some conditioning during his layoff, there's no doubt he needed to take a break anyway because of the heavy minutes he logged earlier this season while starting. If he can be somewhat fresh for the playoffs then his injury might prove to be a blessing in disguise.
One player no one wants to see injured is Wade, who went down and stayed down after a hard fall. Wade was already hurting after a failed drive to the rim three minutes into the second quarter. Then he fell on the same spot after getting tripped up by Juwan Howard during an attempt to grab an offensive rebound off a missed layup by James. Thankfully it was just a bruised tailbone with Wade right back on the floor after a timeout (though not at 100%). Miller started the second half with Wade staying behind in the locker room to seek treatment only made the Heat’s fan base more anxious. After all, anything more serious that would force him to miss any games would be positively disastrous for the team at this point in the season. With less than five minutes left in the third quarter, Wade couldn’t have arrived fast enough as the team had already lost their lead and were down by 3 at 86-81 thanks to a 19-4 run by the Rockets. The Heat then scored 8 straight points to close the third quarter with Wade back on the floor and an emphatic LeBron dunk tied the score at 93 at the end of the 12 minutes.
Miller’s back-to-back baskets at the rim were a sight for sore eyes while Wade was out. His hustle for an offensive rebound right after those baskets caused the Rockets to turn the ball over to give the Heat another possession. He still isn't close to being a consistent presence on offense throughout a game but with Chalmers out it gives Erik Spoelstra an opening for James Jones to play as well, with mixed results when both are out on the floor playing together.
Miami scored 38 points in the opening quarter, good for second highest total of the first quarter this season (behind a 41 point outburst on February 15 against the Indiana Pacers). Then they reached 100 points just a couple of minutes into the fourth quarter. The Rockets matched it with 8:30 left to play on a Scola jumper. While this was obviously not a defensive showcase, tt was primarily Wade’s defensive efforts with two crucial blocks down the stretch that got the crowd on their feet. Just as important, Wade’s foul on Martin saved a point in the next play by fouling him on what would have been an easy basket in transition.
An interesting studio interview with Sun Sports presenter Jason Jackson and Carnival Cruise executive took place during the middle of the second quarter which practically relegated the live action to the background with muted sound and a greatly reduced portion of the screen via picture-in-picture. The interview was to discuss the upcoming halftime ceremony to reward student scholarships. Lost was a sweet alley-oop pass to LeBron James who then proceeded to find Mike Bibby in the corner for a triple in the next play.
A rare sight of Eddie House driving to the hoop early opening minutes of the second quarter. The question is whether you applaud his aggressiveness or just prefer to stay beyond the arc. He again struggled from the floor on 0-5 shooting in the first half despite being given a chance to play thanks to Chalmers’ absence. He did not return in the second half.
