Three Takeaways from the Rockets' Loss vs the Heat

The Houston Rockets were riding high after a three-game win streak and had just won a back-to-back against the Sacramento Kings at home and Orlando Magic on the road. Houston was continued its road trip in Florida on Saturday afternoon against the Miami Heat and fell short 115-105.

The Rockets dropped to 37-22 on the season and lost the fourth quarter 30-22. Houston shot 43% from the field and just 25% from three.

Here are three takeaways from this game.

Durant and Sheppard Offense

Feb 28, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) drives to the basket against Miami Heat forward Andrew Wiggins (22) during the second quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Without Smith Jr. in the lineup, second-year guard Reed Sheppard got another start, and the Rockets offense had its moments. With another point guard in the starting five, the Cougars got some good looks throughout the game but just shot poorly at the end.

All-Star forward Kevin Durant and Sheppard were most of the offense for Houston. KD put up another one of his special performances and scored 32 points in 37 minutes. He also added eight assists and did a great job of breaking down Miami’s defense and finding holes. Durant had five rebounds and two blocks as well.

Sheppard did some of the same but was only 36% from the field and had a good first half with a couple of really deep threes. He had 14 points total. Both players combined had just one turnover.

Thompson and Sengun’s Inconsistent Game

While both of these Rocket stars made some nice plays throughout the course of the game, their inconsistency really hurt the team.

The Rockets have been a busy team lately, and their schedule has been packed with six games in 10 days. It may have been after a back-to-back and staying on the road that the team got tired. Houston missed a lot of its shots short. That was a common dominator among both Thompson and Sengun.

Both players were -18 overall and each had four turnovers. Sengun added just 13 points and picked up four fouls. Thompson was effective in the first half and had 20 points overall. Thompson was also a disappointing 6/12 from the free throw line.

Rockets Kept Fighting

This was a competitive game the whole time, but the Heat got a lead multiple times and had a chance to really take control. The Rockets responded every time. The Heat took a 41-28 lead in the second quarter, and Houston came back and took the 52-51 halftime lead. Miami just went cold during this period while Sheppard made some 3-pointers alongside Durant and Sengun making shots.

The Heat also took an eight-point lead in the third quarter, and this time Eason and Thompson were ready to bring the Rockets back in. Unfortunately, the Rockets were not able to do it a third time in the fourth quarter.

Houston was down 106-103 with 2:58 left, but the Heat went on a game-winning 7-0 run to put it away. The Rockets could not buy a shot down the stretch, and the Heat made sure to have multiple defenders on Durant.

Up next, the Rockets continue their road journey and face the Washington Wizards on Monday.