On April 6, Beijing time, the Rockets faced the Heat at home. The Rockets are in danger, losing in a row after 11 consecutive wins, and have suffered 3 consecutive defeats before, losing to the Warriors is very demoralizing, if this loss to the Heat, then the Lakers and Kings will directly lock the top 10 in the West, and the Rockets will really have no play. The Heat are in seventh place in the East, 0.5 wins behind the Pacers, and have a good chance of finishing in the top 6 in the East, so they can avoid the play-in tournament and prepare for the playoffs. Rockets starting lineup: VanVleet + Jalen Green + Dillon + Jeff Green + Jabari Smith Jr., Heat starting lineup: Rozier + Robinson + Butler + Jovic + Adebayo.
In the first quarter, the Rockets played 27-27 and started the game well, and as long as they continued their intensity on both ends of the offensive and defensive ends, they had a chance to win the game. In the second quarter, the Heat began to exert their strength, scoring 37 points in a single quarter under the leadership of Butler, and the Rockets were also very efficient offensively, scoring 32 points, but still trailing the Heat by 5 points. At the end of the half, Dillon, Jalen Green and Smith all scored double-doubles, and Butler of the Heat scored 15 points in two quarters, and he was in good shape, and in the playoffs, the Heat may still be the dark horse in the East.
In the third quarter, the Heat continued to put pressure on the Rockets, winning by 5 more points in this quarter, although the Rockets did not fall behind by a large score, they were always pressed and beaten, and there was no hope of a reversal. In the fourth quarter, the Rockets were unable to recover, and finally lost to the Heat by 15 points at 104-119, and after suffering 4 consecutive defeats, they have missed the play-offs in advance, but the Rockets can achieve their current results, which can be regarded as exceeding expectations.
The Rockets' Jalen Green scored 21 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 1 block, and really tried his best, Jabari Smith Jr. 15 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block, Dillon 18 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal, VanVleet 13 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists, and Jeff Green 11 points and 2 rebounds. The Heat's Butler had 22 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists, Bam Adebayo had 18 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal and 1 block, Rozier had 13 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists, and Jovic had 8 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist.
After losing to the Heat, the Rockets have suffered four consecutive defeats, ranking 11th in the West with a 38-39 record, and the winning percentage has also fallen below 5%. The Rockets are already 4.5 wins behind the Warriors in 10th place in the West, and they can also despair, the gap is too big, and they will bid farewell to the play-offs early. The Lakers and Kings lie down to win, after the Rockets lose, these two teams lock up the top 10 in the West, at least can participate in the play-offs, and, compared to the Kings suffered 2 consecutive defeats, the Lakers have won 3 consecutive wins, as long as the next game wins, they can replace the Kings and rush into the top 8 in the West. Now, the Western Conference play-off pattern is in chaos, the Warriors are still ranked 10th, and the Kings may only be a matter of time before they slip to 9th.