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Heat beat Rockets

Originally posted on thePeachBasket | By Eric Labrador | Last updated Feb 28, 2026 9:36 PM ET

The Heat beat the Rockets. They finish off a tough week of games with a good victory. Bam Adebayo said post-game after Thursday’s game with Philadelphia that he was looking forward to playing at the Kaseya Center. The Heat started strong and finished strong against the Rockets.

Key Sequence

The two teams fought it out the whole game. Houston led 52-51 at the half and then tied four times in the third quarter. At 7:09 in the fourth, Andrew Wiggins made both free throws to give the Heat a three point lead, 95-92. Andrew Wiggins drove to the basket from the top of the key and lobbed and alley-oop dunk to Kel’el Ware to open up the lead to 97-92.

That five point lead put the Rockets “on their heels” and they didn’t have the scoring to overtake Miami. Bam Adebayo had a fantastic game with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Pelle Larsson had 20 points, Tyler Herro had 18 and Jaime Jaquez Jr. finished with 15 points. Kel’el Ware had a “full caloric load” as he had 13 points and 15 rebounds (only 3 three-point attempts.)

Highlights for Heat

Bam Adebayo played 35 minutes and Ware played 28 minutes and 35 seconds in the game. They played many minutes together and Coach Erik Spoelstra said that they were productive. The Heat defense closed well, holding the Rockets to 22 points in the fourth quarter and showing the ability to close games. They showed the “mental toughness” that has been lacking in other games.

They will have the opportunity to practice what they’ve gained the upcoming week where they host Brooklyn twice and then end the week playing Charlotte. Charlotte is ninth in the East (8-3 in February) and moving up fast on Miami. Charlotte has a losing record at home and scores six points less per game. Kon Kneuppel, LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller have set the scoring pace for Charlotte in the last month.

This article first appeared on thePeachBasket and was syndicated with permission.

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