The Houston Rockets defeat the Heat to go 4-0 on their road trip

The Houston Rockets concluded their road trip with another victory over the Miami Heat 109-101.

The Houston Rockets (40-13) inch ever closer to the conference leading Golden State Warriors with a road victory over the Miami Heat (29-26). Houston, led by their star-studded backcourt, improved to 20-7 away from the Toyota Center.

While the Rockets have been without Trevor Ariza, Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon were also out with injury. Anderson was ruled out with a left leg injury and EG with back soreness.

Meanwhile a scrappy Miami team came out to play and gave the Rockets all they could handle. Goran Dragic played at an All-Star level and kept the Heat alive with 30 points. Josh Richardson also contributed with 30 points of his own. With tonight’s victory, Houston sweeps the season series 2-0 and ends the road trip 4-0.

Lets look at tonight’s stats:

James Harden: 41 points, 6 assists, 3 steals

Chris Paul: 24 points, 7 assists, 7 rebounds

Clint Capela: 13 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks

Recap:

It wasn’t a pretty victory, but the Rockets managed to pull out another win as they reach the 40 win mark. Harden and CP3 combined for 65 of the Rockets 109 points. Speaking of Harden, his 41 points makes it the eighth time he’s eclipsed the 40 point mark. While two starters and a key reserve missed the game, the backcourt didn’t miss a beat out there.

Clint Capela continues to play an effective role for this team. In fact, the team has only lost once when Capela, CP3, and Harden play together. Although his scoring numbers weren’t as significant, his 13 points helped on offense and his three blocks meant everything on defense.

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While Anderson missed the action, Nene took over some of the duties and did just fine. His 7 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 steal in 19 minutes of action were enough to help. Luc Mbah a Moute contributed with 9 points and 3 steals of his own to hold down the power forward spot. Solid effort overall from the frontcourt guys.

Meanwhile EG missed the game as well. His replacement on the second unit? Hometown hero Gerald Green. The former Heat guard scored 12 points off the Rockets bench and grabbed 3 rebounds in 26 minutes of action. Green was a steal as a signing as he will play an integral role in the rotation come playoff time.

Overall, the Rockets are looking great heading into the All-Star break. As the first half winds down, Houston sits in a great position before sending James Harden off to represent the Rockets in Los Angeles. Below are the highlights of the game:

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After a successful first half, the Rockets established themselves as a force in the Western conference and the entire league. With a competitive second half ahead, the Houston Rockets gladly look forward to a well deserved break with the All-Star game around the corner. Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook for more Rockets news!

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