Rockets, Heat Square-Off in Brief Home Stop for Houston
Opposite Directions. Launching Pad. The Good, the Bad, and the Rockets.
In literally the most erratic season in Houston Rockets history, the squad returns to Toyota Center for a brief home stop to host the Miami Heat. Tonight’s matchup is a tale of teams headed in opposite directions. The Rockets return home trying to snap a 3-game losing streak. Meanwhile, the Heat roll into Houston finally hitting their stride. After a slow 7-14 start that saw Miami plagued by injuries and coronavirus, the Heat are aiming for their fourth win in a row as they face off against the Rockets tonight. With a Houston loss, these squads will have identical records, and the Rockets will fall further down the food chain out West. To avoid that, Houston needs Victor Oladipo to show up. Vic sat out last game due to rest, and tonight the Rockets need him and John Wall to be explosive if they want to beat a Miami team finding its rhythm.
Hopefully, a return to the friendly confines of Toyota Center during this road-heavy stretch in the schedule can give the Rockets a launching pad, and possibly pile on some wins, as the schedule gets easier after tonight. But who knows with these Rockets. There’s good teams, bad teams, and then these Rockets, who on some nights look like the worst team in the NBA, others, they look like they could compete with anyone. Who knows which team we’ll get tonight. But a feisty Jimmy Butler isn’t going to let the Heat come into Houston carelessly. Maybe a fiery Miami squad can instill some grit and energy into these Rockets. They’re going to need it tonight.
A win tonight, and Houston creeps back to within a game of .500. A loss, and the Rockets fall to three games below the .500 mark, and further down the standings in the crowded Western Conference. John Wall, a returning Victor Oladipo, and Eric Gordon will be primarily responsible for creating the offense and setting the tone. Hopefully the squad plays off of Jae’Sean Tate and P.J. Tucker’s energy. Because tonight… the Heat’s on against the Rockets, literally.
Toyota Center: Houston, Texas
Jersey Colors:
Miami Heat (10-14): “City Edition” Pink/Blue
Houston Rockets (11-13): Black
TV: 6:30 PM CT – TNT