Nov 1, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat forward Justise Winslow (20) is pressured by Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) during the second half at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won 109-89. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
James Harden and the Houston Rockets travel to Miami to face off against the Heat
The Houston Rockets travel to South Beach and will face a Heat squad that are 1-9 in their last ten games. However, the saying goes that the most dangerous man is the one with nothing to lose. These Miami Heat have nothing left to lose. In addition to trying to repair their ravaged line ups, the team has recently filed for a roster exception because of Justise Winslow’s injury. To put it plainly, the basketball gods have not been kind to the Heat this season.
Chris Bosh, Josh McRoberts, Josh Richardson, and Justise Winslow are all out of action tonight and for the foreseeable future. This season the Miami Heat have used 17 different lineups and the players have missed a total of 162 games. The latest insult to injury was Winslow’s torn labrum in his right shoulder, which will cause him to miss the rest of the season. But, such is the case for NBA teams. The injuries are all part of the struggle that each team must work through.
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The Rockets are no stranger to this injury bug. Our own starting center, Clint Capela, was out for four weeks and is looking to make his return this evening. According to coach Mike D’Antoni, Capela will not be under minutes restriction, but his conditioning will keep him under 20 minutes. Also, Ryan Anderson is listed as doubtful for tonight with flu like symptoms.
The Miami Heat and Rockets are on different sides of the NBA spectrum. The losses are not the same and they impact our teams differently. The Rockets are playing for playoff positioning, while Miami seems to be playing for lottery picks. I don’t believe they are purposely tanking, but their decimated lineups have left them little choice.
Houston has two back to back games this week and will look to tighten their grasp on the third seed. And if possible, look to move up in the Western Conference rankings.
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Tip off is at 6:30pm CT and can be seen on NBA TV and RTSW
