Losers of two straight, the Heat are back in Kaseya Center for a three-game homestand starting versus Kevin Durant and the Rockets.
(Mandatory credit: Imagn Images)

After a three-game win streak, the Miami Heat have since lost two straight. They will look to bounce back as they return to Kaseya Center to host the visiting Houston Rockets for an early weekend matchup Saturday.

The Rockets are coming off a win versus the Orlando Magic in a game where Kevin Durant dropped 40 points on 50% shooting. Houston has won six of their last 10 games and currently sporting a 37-21 record as the third seed in the Western Conference. With the Heat down Norman Powell, they will have less star power to counter against the likes of Durant.

Powell left the Heat’s previous game in Philadelphia early with a groin injury, and has since been shut down moving forward. He is now listed as week-to-week. It is expected for Tyler Herro to instantly reclaim a role in the starting lineup in Powell’s absence.

Just another rough blow for a Heat team that has dealt with injuries all season long. They will now need to pivot to adjusting to a Powell-less rotation.

This Rockets game will be the first of a three-game homestand for eighth seed Miami, who are now 1.0 game behind the seventh seed Magic and 2.5 games behind the sixth seed Philadelphia 76ers. With just 20 games left in the regular season, there’s still time for the Heat to make a push to avoid the play-in, but each loss is going to matter even more. Can they get back on track today? Let us know in the comments!

Injury Report (at the time of this publishing):

Houston Rockets:

Jae’Sean Tate (knee) — OUT

Tristen Newton (g-league) — OUT 

Steven Adams (ankle) — OUT

Jabari Smith Jr (ankle) — OUT

Fred VanVleet (knee) — OUT

Miami Heat:  

Norman Powell (groin) — OUT 

Nikola Jovic (back) — OUT

Terry Rozier (not with team) — OUT

Projected Starting 5 (subject to change):

Houston Rockets:

Amen Thompson, G

Tari Eason, G

Dorian Finney-Smith, F

Kevin Durant, F

Alperen Sengun, C

Miami Heat:

Davion Mitchell, G

Tyler Herro, G

Pelle Larsson, F

Andrew Wiggins, F

Bam Adebayo, F/C

Broadcast Info:

Tipoff: 3:30 PM EST

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Sun (Eric Reid & John Crotty)

Radio: AM 560 Sports WQAM & The HEAT Radio Network (Jason Jackson)

Spanish Radio: WAQI 710 AM & The HEAT Spanish Radio Network (José Pañeda)

Come back to Hot Hot Hoops at game time to join our GameThread and chat about the game live with other Heat fans!

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