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Houston wraps up its preseason tonight in Miami against the Heat.
The Heat played last night in Orlando and will be looking for finish off a perfect 5-0 preseason. The Heat played basically everyone in that one so the expectation is that Miami will rest most of its starters and rotation players in this one, including Jimmy Butler, who spurned Houston’s advances in order to go be the alpha dog in Miami.
Houston’s biggest bugaboo in the preseason has been its defense. The Rockets have given up 134, 111, and 128 points in their last three games. Chris Paul’s departure and Russell Westbrook’s arrive portended a dip in defensive efficiency, but so far this defense looks absolutely abysmal. Part of it is the preseason and the use of players that are more focused with offense than defense and part of it is the general lack of intensity that comes with the preseason. Either way, the Rockets could use a decent defensive effort before the games count.
Tip-off is at 7pm CT