Five takeaways from the Miami Heat’s 101-99 win over the Houston Rockets on Thursday at AmericanAirlines Arena.
1. The Heat’s defense continues to win it games. Miami (14-16) entered with the ninth-best defensive rating, allowing 106.4 points per 100 possessions. And the Heat sure did look like a top-10 defense Thursday, limiting a hot Rockets offense to 99 points on 35.4 percent shooting to snap Houston’s five-game winning streak.
After the Rockets made nine of their first 15 shots, they converted on just 20 of its final 67 shots (29.9 percent).
The Heat is now 8-1 this season when holding its opponent under 100 points.