Losing skid increases to four as Rockets flounder against Heat

Photo courtesy of Carmen Mandato/Associated Press

When it rains, it pours. In the Houston Rockets' case, it's falling in buckets right now, and not in the basketball sense.

The Houston Rockets saw their losing streak dating back to last week extend to four losses in a row after an uninspired loss to the short-handed Miami Heat on Thursday night, dropping the contest at home by a score of 101-94.

Unlike their previous losses, the Rockets actually led for a good duration in the game. The Rockets led by 10 after the first quarter of play, and took a six point lead into halftime. The team wasn't shooting lights-out, but they were doing enough on offense while limiting Miami's scoring on the defensive end.

Things turned sour at the half, however. Victor Oladipo would injure his ankle just before the halfway mark, and after a bit of stretching and running in and around the locker room, would be ruled out for the rest of the contest.

Things went downhill from there. The Rockets would score a total of 10 points in the third quarter, while the Heat would score 28. Houston went 0-10 from three in the quarter.

Even more baffling was the team's fourth quarter performance--the Rockets actually went 1-18 from three before a late series of shots from deep pulled them to within three. The Rockets forced a miss from Jimmy Butler, but failed to collect the rebound and allowed Butler to go to the free throw line. The game would spiral out of control from there.

Two mainstays of the Rockets' losing streak were very prevalent in the defeat. Houston failed to crack over triple digits once again in the loss--during the streak, they've averaged just under 99 points a game, while their opponents have averaged around 115.

Additionally, the Rockets were out-rebounded by their opponent, 49 to 42. Bam Adebayo and Kelly Olynyk each had double-digit rebounds.

It's another tough loss for the Rockets, who quickly find themselves plummeting down the standings. They're now 11-14, with no real signs of improvement in early life without the injured Christian Wood.

They'll have a chance to snap their streak against the 11-15 New York Knicks on Saturday evening, in what suddenly becomes a pivotal game for the Rockets.. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 PM CT.