The Miami Heat went into Monday's game in Houston with plenty of available excuses to just roll over and play dead on the final night of its five-game, eight-day road trip.
Not only were Goran Dragic or Tyler Johnson not available once again, but the Rockets owned the second-best record in the league.
None of it, though, stopped the Heat from putting forth a worthy effort -- until the Rockets All-Star backcourt of James Harden and Chris Paul proved too much down the stretch. Harden broke a 88-all tie with a three-pointer with 3:06 to play, jumpstarting a 11-2 Rockets run and a 99-90 victory over the Heat at the Toyota Center.