Game ID: 22300509
Houston Rockets @ Miami Heat
Monday, January 8, 2024 at 7:30 PM ET
Kaseya Center, Miami, FL
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
MIA 34 25 32 29 120HOU 27 32 23 31 113
HOU @ MIA ScoutingHOU @ MIA Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
MIA availability going into 12/30 · 1 day's restOUT Butler III missed 4 since 12/20, returns tonight: 23 min (67% of 34)
OUT Richardson missed 2 since 12/25, out tonight
OUT Bryant missed 3 since 12/22, out tonight
BACK Adebayo back 12/18 after 7, 35 min since (103% of 34)
BACK Herro back 12/18 after 18, 34 min since (101% of 34)
BACK Jović back 12/28 after 9, 20 min since (97% of 20)
BACK Cain back 12/25 after 4, 23 min since (226% of 10)
NEW Jaquez Jr. 28 to 36 min over the last 5
MIA availability going into 1/01 · 1 day's restOUT Lowry missed 2 since 12/28, returns tonight: 24 min (87% of 28)
OUT Martin missed 2 since 12/28, out tonight
OUT Richardson missed 3 since 12/25, out tonight
OUT Bryant missed 4 since 12/22, returns tonight: 3 min (30% of 12)
BACK Butler III back 12/30 after 4, 23 min since (67% of 34)
BACK Jović back 12/28 after 9, 15 min since (73% of 20)
BACK Cain back 12/25 after 4, 19 min since (186% of 10)
NEW Jaquez Jr. 28 to 37 min over the last 5
MIA availability going into 1/03 · 1 day's restOUT Martin missed 3 since 12/28, out tonight
OUT Richardson missed 4 since 12/25, returns tonight: 20 min (80% of 26)
BACK Butler III back 12/30 after 4, 23 min since (67% of 34)
BACK Lowry back 1/01 after 2, 24 min since (87% of 28)
BACK Jović back 12/28 after 9, 11 min since (53% of 20)
BACK Bryant back 1/01 after 4, 3 min since (30% of 12)
BACK Cain back 12/25 after 4, 23 min since (226% of 10)
NEW Jaquez Jr. 28 to 38 min over the last 5
MIA availability going into 1/05 · 1 day's restOUT Butler III missed 2 since 1/01, out tonight
OUT Martin missed 4 since 12/28, out tonight
OUT Highsmith missed 2 since 1/01, out tonight
BACK Lowry back 1/01 after 2, 25 min since (90% of 28)
BACK Richardson back 1/03 after 4, 20 min since (80% of 26)
BACK Jović back 12/28 after 9, 15 min since (75% of 20)
BACK Bryant back 1/01 after 4, 3 min since (30% of 12)
BACK Cain back 12/25 after 4, 18 min since (182% of 10)
NEW Jaquez Jr. 28 to 38 min over the last 5
MIA availability going into 1/08 · 2 days' restOUT Butler III missed 3 since 1/01, out tonight
OUT Martin missed 5 since 12/28, out tonight
OUT Highsmith missed 3 since 1/01, returns tonight: 16 min (75% of 21)
BACK Lowry back 1/01 after 2, 24 min since (87% of 28)
BACK Richardson back 1/03 after 4, 25 min since (97% of 26)
BACK Jović back 12/28 after 9, 17 min since (84% of 20)
BACK Bryant back 1/01 after 4, 3 min since (23% of 12)
NEW Jaquez Jr. 28 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Cain 10 to 16 min over the last 5
MIA availability going into 1/10 · 1 day's restOUT Butler III missed 4 since 1/01, out tonight
OUT Martin missed 6 since 12/28, out tonight
BACK Lowry back 1/01 after 2, 22 min since (80% of 28)
BACK Richardson back 1/03 after 4, 26 min since (102% of 26)
BACK Highsmith back 1/08 after 3, 16 min since (75% of 21)
BACK Bryant back 1/01 after 4, 3 min since (23% of 12)
NEW Jaquez Jr. 28 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Love 16 to 23 min over the last 5
MIA availability going into 1/12 · 1 day's restOUT Butler III missed 5 since 1/01, out tonight
OUT Martin missed 7 since 12/28, returns tonight: 24 min (86% of 28)
OUT Bryant missed 2 since 1/08, out tonight
OUT Cain missed 2 since 1/08, out tonight
BACK Lowry back 1/01 after 2, 22 min since (80% of 28)
BACK Richardson back 1/03 after 4, 25 min since (97% of 26)
BACK Highsmith back 1/08 after 3, 25 min since (121% of 21)
NEW Jaquez Jr. 28 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Love 16 to 23 min over the last 5
MIA availability going into 1/14 · 1 day's restOUT Butler III missed 6 since 1/01, out tonight
OUT Lowry missed 2 since 1/10, returns tonight: 26 min (92% of 28)
OUT Bryant missed 3 since 1/08, out tonight
OUT Cain missed 3 since 1/08, out tonight
BACK Martin back 1/12 after 7, 24 min since (86% of 28)
BACK Richardson back 1/03 after 4, 25 min since (97% of 26)
BACK Highsmith back 1/08 after 3, 28 min since (131% of 21)
NEW Jaquez Jr. 28 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Jović 20 to 26 min over the last 5
NEW Love 16 to 21 min over the last 5
MIA availability going into 1/15 · back-to-backOUT Butler III missed 7 since 1/01, returns tonight: 40 min (119% of 34)
OUT Bryant missed 4 since 1/08, returns tonight: 5 min (43% of 12)
OUT Cain missed 4 since 1/08, out tonight
BACK Lowry back 1/14 after 2, 26 min since (92% of 28)
BACK Martin back 1/12 after 7, 24 min since (87% of 28)
BACK Highsmith back 1/08 after 3, 28 min since (135% of 21)
NEW Jović 20 to 26 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 1/01 · 2 days' restOUT Brooks missed 2 since 12/27, out tonight
BACK Eason back 12/23 after 2, 25 min since (114% of 22)
BACK Whitmore back 12/22 after 8, 16 min since (86% of 19)
BACK Landale back 12/27 after 2, 10 min since (72% of 14)
HOU availability going into 1/03 · 1 day's restOUT Brooks missed 3 since 12/27, out tonight
BACK Eason back 12/23 after 2, 25 min since (113% of 22)
BACK Whitmore back 12/27 after 2, 13 min since (68% of 19)
BACK Landale back 12/27 after 2, 9 min since (65% of 14)
NEW Tate 16 to 22 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 1/05 · 1 day's restOUT Brooks missed 4 since 12/27, out tonight
BACK Whitmore back 12/27 after 2, 14 min since (75% of 19)
BACK Landale back 12/27 after 2, 9 min since (65% of 14)
NEW Tate 16 to 26 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 1/06 · back-to-backOUT Brooks missed 5 since 12/27, out tonight
BACK Whitmore back 12/27 after 2, 14 min since (76% of 19)
BACK Landale back 12/27 after 2, 8 min since (59% of 14)
NEW Tate 16 to 28 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 1/08 · 1 day's restOUT Brooks missed 6 since 12/27, out tonight
NEW Je. Green 17 to 23 min over the last 5
NEW Tate 16 to 27 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 1/10 · 1 day's restOUT Brooks missed 7 since 12/27, out tonight
OUT Landale missed 2 since 1/06, out tonight
NEW Tate 16 to 26 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 1/12 · 1 day's restOUT Brooks missed 8 since 12/27, out tonight
OUT Landale missed 3 since 1/06, out tonight
NEW Smith Jr. 32 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Je. Green 17 to 22 min over the last 5
NEW Tate 16 to 25 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 1/13 · back-to-backOUT Brooks missed 9 since 12/27, returns tonight: 25 min (81% of 31)
OUT Landale missed 4 since 1/06, returns tonight: 12 min (88% of 14)
NEW Smith Jr. 32 to 39 min over the last 5
NEW Tate 16 to 22 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 1/15 · 1 day's restBACK Brooks back 1/13 after 9, 25 min since (81% of 31)
BACK Landale back 1/13 after 4, 12 min since (88% of 14)
NEW Smith Jr. 32 to 38 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Miami comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 110, shooting 44 percent and 32 from three, 26 free throws a game; Adebayo at 22 and Herro at 19 a game. Without Butler III (3 straight), Martin (5 straight), Highsmith (3 straight). 2 days' rest. Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 115, shooting 48 percent and 43 from three, 24 free throws a game; Sengun at 25 and Ja. Green at 21 a game. Without Brooks (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: Miami wins, and the game turns on the arc, Houston at 43 percent from three to Miami's 32. Call it Miami 113, Houston 112, Houston keeping it close.
12/30 @ UTA 109-117 — MIA notes
MIA lost 109-117. MIA shot 44% (34 of 78) to UTA's 46%, 9 of 31 from three, and went to the line 40 times to UTA's 28 — 32 points from the stripe to their 20. MIA turned it over 16 times to UTA's 10, and UTA turned those into 8 steals. Adebayo led with 28 (7 of 13, 14 of 20 at the line); Herro added 25, Love 12. Q1 was theirs, 28-27, but the other 3 periods went 90-81 against them. Jaquez Jr.'s -16 in 35 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/01 @ LAC 104-121 — MIA notes
MIA lost 104-121. MIA shot 42% (35 of 83) to LAC's 59%, 11 of 34 from three, and went to the line 29 times to LAC's 14 — 23 points from the stripe to their 13. Adebayo led with 21 (6 of 17, 9 of 13 at the line); Love added 17, Jaquez Jr. 15. Q1 was theirs, 35-23, but the other 3 periods went 98-69 against them. They led by as many as 14. Herro's -29 in 35 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/03 @ LAL 110-96 — MIA notes
MIA won 110-96. MIA shot 44% (41 of 93) to LAL's 42%, 16 of 42 from three, and got to the line 17 times to LAL's 24. MIA turned it over 8 times to LAL's 21. The glass went 39-50 against them. Herro led with 21 (7 of 19, 4 of 8 from three); Jaquez Jr. added 16, Adebayo 15. The hinge was Q4, 38-29: a lead of 5 became 14. Jaquez Jr. was the night's best plus/minus at +24.
1/05 @ PHX 97-113 — MIA notes
MIA lost 97-113. MIA shot 41% (34 of 83) to PHX's 51%, 10 of 37 from three. MIA turned it over 15 times to PHX's 9, and PHX turned those into 13 steals. Adebayo led with 28 (11 of 19, 6 of 7 at the line); Love added 20, Jaquez Jr. 10. Q4 was theirs, 22-19, the deficit cut from 19 to 16, but the other 3 periods went 94-75 against them. Herro's -25 in 35 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/08 vs HOU 120-113 — MIA notes
MIA won 120-113. MIA shot 50% (41 of 82) to HOU's 42%, 15 of 36 from three. Herro led with 28 (10 of 20, 5 of 10 from three); Adebayo added 22, Love 15. The hinge was Q3, 32-23: from level to 9 ahead, and the lead reached 15. Adebayo was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
1/10 vs OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Miami comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 112, shooting 44 percent and 34 from three, 28 free throws a game; Adebayo at 23 and Herro at 19 a game. Without Butler III (4 straight), Martin (6 straight). One day's rest. OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 128 a night and allowing 125, shooting 55 percent and 46 from three, 22 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 32 and Jal. Williams at 19 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, OKC at 46 percent from three to Miami's 34 and the defense, Miami allowing 112 a night to OKC's 125. Call it OKC 117, Miami 116, Miami keeping it close.
1/12 vs ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Miami comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 114, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 26 free throws a game; Adebayo at 22 and Herro at 17 a game. Without Butler III (5 straight), Martin (7 straight). One day's rest. Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 120, shooting 45 percent and 43 from three, 25 free throws a game; Banchero at 31 and Suggs at 19 a game. Without F. Wagner (3 straight), Carter Jr. (3 straight), Gar. Harris (3 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Miami wins, and the game turns on the arc, Orlando at 43 percent from three to Miami's 36 and the turnovers, Orlando giving it away 15 times a game to Miami's 11. Call it Miami 115, Orlando 113, Orlando keeping it close.
1/14 vs CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Miami comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 109, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 24 free throws a game; Adebayo at 22 and Herro at 19 a game. Without Butler III (6 straight), Lowry (2 straight). One day's rest. Charlotte comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 102 a night and allowing 117, shooting 42 percent and 36 from three, 18 free throws a game; Rozier at 25 and Bridges at 23 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Washington (3 straight), Martin (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Miami wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Miami has been minus-2 a night and Charlotte minus-7 and the defense, Miami allowing 109 a night to Charlotte's 117. Call it Miami 116, Charlotte 107.
1/15 @ BKN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Brooklyn comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 117, shooting 43 percent and 32 from three, 24 free throws a game; Bridges at 23 and Claxton at 14 a game. Without Simmons (31 straight), Clowney (7 straight), Wilson (3 straight). 3 days' rest. Miami comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 107, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 24 free throws a game; Adebayo at 24 and Herro at 19 a game. Without Butler III (7 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Brooklyn wins, and the game turns on the defense, Miami allowing 107 a night to Brooklyn's 117 and the arc, Miami at 37 percent from three to Brooklyn's 32. Call it Brooklyn 113, Miami 112, Miami keeping it close.
1/01 vs DET 136-113 — HOU notes
HOU won 136-113. HOU shot 56% (51 of 91) to DET's 48%, 15 of 35 from three. HOU turned it over 9 times to DET's 17. Sengun led with 26 (9 of 13, 8 of 9 at the line); Ja. Green added 22, Eason 17. The hinge was Q3, 47-25: a lead of 4 became 26, and the lead reached 33. Sengun was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
1/03 vs BKN 112-101 — HOU notes
HOU won 112-101. HOU shot 49% (37 of 76) to BKN's 39%, 19 of 39 from three. HOU turned it over 16 times to BKN's 8, and BKN turned those into 11 steals. Sengun led with 30 (11 of 17, 8 of 10 at the line); VanVleet added 21, Ja. Green 14. The hinge was Q3, 38-25: HOU came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 12, and the lead reached 18. HOU trailed 49-50 at the half and won the second half 63-51. VanVleet was the night's best plus/minus at +24.
1/05 vs MIN 95-122 — HOU notes
HOU lost 95-122. HOU shot 40% (36 of 90) to MIN's 52%, 12 of 32 from three. The glass went 38-52 against them. Ja. Green led with 20 (7 of 16, 4 of 8 from three); Sengun added 19, Smith Jr. 16. Q2 was theirs, 22-24, but the other 3 periods went 98-73 against them. Thompson's -20 in 20 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/06 vs MIL 112-108 — HOU notes
HOU won 112-108. HOU shot 43% (36 of 83) to MIL's 46%, 13 of 34 from three, and got to the line 32 times to MIL's 42. Sengun led with 21 (7 of 21, 7 of 10 at the line); Je. Green added 16, Ja. Green 16. The hinge was Q1, 29-18: from level to 11 ahead, and the lead reached 21.
1/08 @ MIA 113-120 — HOU notes
HOU lost 113-120. HOU shot 42% (37 of 88) to MIA's 50%, 14 of 41 from three. VanVleet led with 32 (10 of 22, 7 of 14 from three); Sengun added 22, Ja. Green 11. Q2 was theirs, 32-25, the deficit cut from 7 to 0, but the other 3 periods went 95-81 against them. Smith Jr.'s -11 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/10 @ CHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Chicago comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 104, shooting 46 percent and 31 from three, 22 free throws a game; White at 22 and DeRozan at 21 a game. Without Craig (11 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 113, shooting 46 percent and 40 from three, 25 free throws a game; Sengun at 24 and VanVleet at 18 a game. Without Brooks (7 straight). One day's rest.
So: Chicago wins, and the game turns on the arc, Houston at 40 percent from three to Chicago's 31 and the glass, where Chicago has been plus-4 a night and Houston minus-2. Call it Chicago 111, Houston 109, Houston keeping it close.
1/12 @ DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Detroit comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 132, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 19 free throws a game; Bogdanović at 21 and Cunningham at 21 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Cunningham (2 straight), Stewart (8 straight), Bagley III (5 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 115, shooting 44 percent and 36 from three, 24 free throws a game; Sengun at 23 and VanVleet at 19 a game. Without Brooks (8 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Houston allowing 115 a night to Detroit's 132 and the line, where Houston takes 24 free throws a game to Detroit's 19. Call it Houston 118, Detroit 115, Detroit keeping it close.
1/13 @ BOS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 117, shooting 45 percent and 38 from three, 29 free throws a game; Tatum at 30 and Brown at 26 a game. One day's rest. Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 117, shooting 44 percent and 32 from three, 24 free throws a game; Sengun at 23 and Ja. Green at 19 a game. Without Brooks (9 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the arc, Boston at 38 percent from three to Houston's 32 and the line, where Boston takes 29 free throws a game to Houston's 24. Call it Boston 119, Houston 111.
1/15 @ PHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Philadelphia comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 115, shooting 43 percent and 32 from three, 26 free throws a game; Maxey at 26 and Harris at 24 a game. It has lost the glass by 9 a night. Without Embiid (3 straight), Covington (5 straight). 2 days' rest. Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 121, shooting 44 percent and 29 from three, 27 free throws a game; Sengun at 23 and VanVleet at 18 a game. One day's rest.
So: Philadelphia wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-0 a night and Philadelphia minus-9 and the defense, Philadelphia allowing 115 a night to Houston's 121. Call it Philadelphia 117, Houston 112.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
MIABA B. Adebayo
DR D. Robinson
HH H. Highsmith
JJ J. Jaquez Jr.
JR J. Richardson
JO Jovic
KL K. Love
KL K. Lowry
NJ N. Jović
TH T. Herro
HOUAH A. Holiday
AS A. Sengun
AT A. Thompson
CW C. Whitmore
FV F. VanVleet
JG J. Green
JS J. Smith Jr.
JT J. Tate
JG Ja. Green
JG Je. Green
MIA/HOU the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Heat get 28 from Herro, 22 from Adebayo and top Rockets 120-113
MIAMI -- — Kyle Lowry got hurt and left the game while he was still in the game. He didn't even wait for play to stop, simply exiting the floor and temporarily having Miami play 5-on-4 for a few seconds.
Even that didn't derail the Heat.
Tyler Herro scored 28 points, Bam Adebayo finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds — getting most of that in the second half — and the Heat led almost the entire game on the way to topping the Houston Rockets 120-113 on Monday night.
“The Philly guy in him right now is saying ‘I’ll be all right,'” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Lowry. “He's as tough as you can be in this league. He's played through more things than probably anybody currently playing in this association.”
Lowry was diagnosed with a sprained left hand, then returned to the bench to see Miami finish off the win. Kevin Love scored 15 points for Miami, while Duncan Robinson and Jaime Jaquez Jr . each had 14 for the Heat. Josh Richardson finished with 12 for Miami.
The Heat moved to No. 4 in the Eastern Conference, followed by No. 5 Orlando, No. 6 Indiana, No. 7 Cleveland and No. 8 New York. Those five teams are separated by zero games — all five are exactly 21-15.
Adebayo had 18 points and 10 rebounds in the second half, after his first half was slowed by foul trouble.
“My teammates were looking for me in the second half,” Adebayo said.
Fred VanVleet led all scorers with 32 points for the Rockets, who opened a six-game road trip. Alperen Sengun scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Houston, which got 11 points apiece from Cam Whitmore and Jalen Green . Houston was without Dillon Brooks (right oblique strain) for the seventh consecutive game.
The Heat were without Jimmy Butler for the eighth time in the last nine games as he continues to recover from a right toe joint sprain; Miami improved to 6-2 in those eight absences. Lowry got hurt in the third quarter while defending a layup try by VanVleet — his former Toronto teammate and backcourt mate on the Raptors’ 2019 NBA title team.
Houston is 18-17 through 35 games — a far cry from where the Rockets were at this point in the last three seasons. They were 11-24 in 2020-21, and 10-25 in both 2021-22 and 2022-23, on their way to final totals of 17, 20 and 22 wins in those seasons.
“For me, not surprised or happy,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “They bought in from Day 1 and once you see the competitive side, the mindset, you know you have the right guys there. We had five or six games that we could have flipped the other way.”
The Heat led for 20:48 of the first half, the Rockets led for just 1:26 in that 24-minute span, but the scoreboard didn’t show any such discrepancy. Houston outscored Miami 8-0 in the final 1:27 of the half, and the teams went into the break tied 59-59.
It was only the second halftime tie of the season for both teams. But Miami never trailed in the second half and the Heat edge eventually reached 15 in the fourth.