Despite trailing by 21 points early in the game, the Miami Heat (2-1) were able to comfortably defeat the Houston Rockets (0-3), 109-89.
With star center Dwight Howard sidelined by a back injury, coach Kevin McHale rolled out a "small ball" lineup on the road against Miami. While guard Marcus Thornton, a new addition to the starting lineup, exploded for 21 points, Miami's frontcourt was able to take advantage of Howard's absence. Heat center Hassan Whiteside delivered a whopping 25 points and 15 rebound to go with a pair of blocks, and effort that helped fuel Miami's 48-34 rebounding advantage. Veteran guard Dwyane Wade was also able to exploit holes in the Houston defense, posting 20 points and dishing out 8 assists. Point guard Gordan Dragic's struggles have continued, however, as he delivered just 8 points and played only 24 minutes.
Houston, the second seed in the West last season, came into the season near the top of many power rankings. However, their loss to the Heat is their third consecutive defeat by a margin of twenty points. While Howard's absence in two of the team's three games has helped, star guard James Harden has struggled with inefficiency thus far, shooting just 25.6 percent from the field. The Rockets will likely look to adjust going forward.
Houston will seak a bounceback performance as they take on the powerhouse Oklahoma City Thunder at home on Monday night. Meanwhile, the Heat will seek to carry the momentum from their victory into their next game, a home matchup against Atlanta.
