The Houston Rockets were embarrassed Sunday at Miami in a game they trailed by 41 points after not even 16 minutes, with head coach Mike D’Antoni calling his team’s effort “soft” after the game.
The 129-100 final (complete box score) was largely cosmetic, with the Heat (5-1) ahead by 59-18 at the 8:06 mark of the second quarter and thoroughly dominating Houston on both ends of the court. It’s the second consecutive loss for the Rockets, who are now 3-3 this season.
The Heat led by a 46-14 margin at the end of the first quarter, and that 32-point lead was the third-largest in NBA history after one quarter. The 46 points in the opening quarter was the second-most allowed by the Rockets in any first quarter in franchise history.
James Harden led Houston with 29 points on a more efficient 6-of-14 shooting performance, but many of his makes came long after the game had been decided. Russell Westbrook had by far his worst game as a Rocket, with 10 points (3-of-11 shooting) and six assists with a team-worst plus/minus figure of -46 in his 26 minutes.
Rookie guard Chris Clemons (16 points, 5-of-10 shooting, four three-pointers) and veteran swingman Ben McLemore (14 points, 5-of-7 shooting, three three-pointers) were among the only bright spots for the Rockets in 22 and 21 minutes, respectively.
The Rockets started Eric Gordon at small forward over Danuel House Jr. in hopes of lighting a spark in Gordon after his awful statistical start to the season, but it didn’t seem to help. Gordon had just 4 points (2-of-10 shooting, 0-of-5 on three-pointers) in 23 minutes.
Led by 23 points from second-year forward Duncan Robinson, the Heat shot 70% from the field in the first quarter and 53% for the game. Houston entered the game as the NBA’s second-worst team in net defensive rating, and Sunday’s performance only made it worse.
The Rockets return to game action on Monday in Memphis as they conclude the first of 11 back-to-back sequences this season. Westbrook is expected to sit out as part of planned maintenance.
