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The Houston Rockets quest to turn around recent form and get back in the winners circle won’t be made any easier when they host the Miami Heat who have been on a strong streak of victories and are looking to consolidate their high ranking position in the Eastern Conference. Join The Roar for live scores of the clash from 12pm (AEDT).
The Rockets will enter this game just inside the top eight of the Western Conference. In a very tight area of the ladder, they were ahead of that just a few days ago but have since lost three games on the trot to the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder and Washington Wizards.
No doubt, after the loss to the Wizards the pressure is on for the Rockets.
The Heat meanwhile, have been going on streaks all season never winning or losing one game at a time. After losing four games in a row, they currently sit on a four-game winning streak, with an away win against the Chicago Bulls headlining that.
They have been playing good basketball on each end of the floor, and the Heat must get consistent which may be their biggest problem at this stage of the season.
The teams have already met once this season, with this being the second and final for the season. The first game, played at the very beginning of November, saw the Miami Heat record a crushing 20 point victory at home.
The Heat might have won by 20, but it was far from smooth sailing and made it soul crushing for the Rockets. The Heat would, after being down in a big way at half time, go on to score 65 points to just 26 in the second half.
The onslaught from the Heat was led by Hassan Whiteside and Dwayne Wade, who added 45 points, 17 rebounds and 19 assists between them. The Rockets simply had no answer to the offensive brilliance, and must defend better this time around.
In defence of the Rockets, it must be noted that Dwight Howard did not play during that game. With him back on court it should severely limit the influence that Whiteside can have over the game, as well as the other Heat big men. This in turn, is going to put more pressure on the likes of Wade and Goran Dragic to score points, especially from outside.
Prediction
The Rockets will be undoubtedly keen to turn their form around, and with Howard on court, it should prove to be the difference with Whiteside returning from injury. Rebounding and defence is going to play a huge part in the game, but James Harden and Howard should have the combination, and the edge to get the job done at home.
Houston by 12.
Be sure to join The Roar for live scores of this NBA fixture from 12pm (AEDT) and don’t forget to add a comment in the section below if you’re following along with the action.
Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde