NOTES & QUOTES
Heat Starting Five: Antonio Snow, Dwyane Wade, Josh Richardson, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Hassan Whiteside
Summary: After picking up wins against Golden State, Atlanta, and Charlotte, Houston kicked off their homestand against Miami. Miami started off with a sizeable lead, but Houston stayed in it with a strong three-point game.
Antonio Snow didn’t get any scoring done in the first quarter, going 0-5, but managing to dish out 4 assists to get his teammates started. On the other side, James Harden had scored 18 of his 20 first half points in the second quarter going 6 of 9 from beyond the three point line.
Miami still managed to hold narrow lead in the end, but two turnovers by Snow late in the game cost Miami the victory.
Key Stats for MIA: 41/69 (59%) - FG|8/12 (66%) – 3PT |15/20 (75%) - FT |6 – 2nd Chance Points| 43 – Bench Points|31 – Assists| 43 – Rebounds | 2 – Steals | 16 (5) – Turnovers (Pts Off)
Key Stats for HOU: 40/83 (48%) - FG|15/25 (60%) – 3PT |13/14 (93%) - FT |14 – 2nd Chance Points| 30 – Bench Points|27 – Assists| 32 – Rebounds | 10 – Steals | 5 (15) – Turnovers (Pts Off)
Antonio Snow on late game turnovers: I hate it. I don’t like being on the receiving end, but it happens. CP3 is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. He made some good plays. I hate that it cost the game.
Chris Paul on 4-game win streak: We’re just trying to keep building off this momentum. We’ve been executing well and just getting it done. Trying to improve our playoff position one game at a time.
Top Performers
Miami Heat
Carmelo Anthony – 21 PTS, 3 REB, 4 AST
Antonio Snow – 19 PTS, 3 REB, 10 AST
Hassan Whiteside – 16 PTS, 18 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL, 3 BLK
Houston Rocket
Giannis Antetokounmpo – 25 PTS, 14 REB, 5 AST
Eric Bledsoe – 10 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST
Nikola Mirotic – 10 PTS, 6 REB