Miami Heat vs Houston Rockets: Injury Report, Predicted Lineups and Starting 5s - October 7th, 2021 | NBA Preseason 2021-22
The Miami Heat travel to the cavernous Toyota Center on Thursday to face the Houston Rockets in both teams' second preseason game. Fresh off wins in their opener, the Heat and the Rockets are looking to iron out kinks and get the win, if possible.
Erik Spoelstra's chargers opened the preseason with a dominant performance against the injury-ravaged Atlanta Hawks. While the Hawks seemed to be easing their way into the preseason, the Heat were almost on full throttle right off the bat.
Even without Jimmy Butler, who was held out for rest, the retooled Miami Heat roster looks ready to compete. With his limited time on the floor, Kyle Lowry gave a glimpse of why Pat Riley was so excited about his addition.
Tyler Herro was the best player in the game. He came out aggressive and kept his foot on the pedal like it was the postseason. If he sustains this form in the regular season, the Miami Heat are going to be a dark horse for the Eastern Conference title.
The Miami Heat's starting five is one of the best in the league. After that resounding win, Spoelstra might opt to give more minutes to the bench.
Max Strus, who shot 4-8 from rainbow country and finished with 14 points, will probably get more game time. Dewayne Dedmon and Markieff Morris are set to battle for playing time to keep Bam Adebayo fresh.
🚨NEW WORDS ALERT🚨
It took 14 minutes of preseason basketball to make the obvious even more clear: Kyle Lowry is going to make life easier for everyone in Miami.
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The Houston Rockets' game against the Washington Wizards was a back-and-forth affair. The Rockets eventually rallied for a victory behind the hot shooting and heady plays of former Arizona State Sun Devil Josh Christopher.
A new era in Houston is starting to emerge with the star potential of Kevin Porter Jr., who led the team in scoring. Jalen Green, the 2nd overall pick in this year's draft, has seemingly boundless athleticism. There's a reason why many GMs consider him to be the best player with the highest ceiling in this draft class.
Jalen Green on his chemistry with Kevin Porter Jr: “It’s been good. It’s not really surprising because we’re pretty much the same player in a way. Obviously he’s left handed and I’m right handed… I think we’re going to fit in real perfect together.” https://t.co/HilhU6HtaL
Houston Rockets coach Stephen Silas allowed his youngsters plenty of game time in the opener. He might want to run it back to see how they can sustain their level of play. If not, some veterans on the roster could see more time as Silas is still tinkering with his combinations.
Miami Heat Injury Report
Jimmy Butler is healthy and could play his first preseason game of the season. Those who suffered knocks during the opener might just sit on the bench on Thursday.
Victor Oladipo has been out all preseason while recovering from injury. Meanwhile, Udonis Haslem is out for personal reasons.
Houston Rockets Injury Report
Everyone on the Houston Rockets' team is healthy and raring to go. The Rockets' long offseason has allowed those with minor injuries to heal and get ready for the 2021-22 NBA campaign.
Like the first preseason game, the entire Houston Rockets roster could play at some point.
Miami Heat vs Houston Rockets Predicted Lineups
Miami Heat
Erik Spoelstra could change up his unit and insert Jimmy Butler into the starting lineup. He could replace PJ Tucker, who only had a quick offseason after playing with the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Finals. Duncan Robinson will move over to small forward and let Tyler Herro light it up as the shooting guard.
Kyle Lowry at the 1 and Bam Adebayo at the 5 positions, respectively, should continue to develop their growing chemistry.
Houston Rockets
The starting five in the Houston Rockets' first preseason game are headed for an encore. There is potential in this group to let the young backcourt develop while still being competitive.
DJ Augustin, Josh Christopher and the rest of the bench are always ready to show improvements when given the time.
Miami Heat vs Houston Rockets Predicted Starting 5s
Miami Heat
Point Guard – Kyle Lowry | Shooting Guard – Tyler Herro | Small Forward – Duncan Robinson | Power Forward – Jimmy Butler | Center – Bam Adebayo
Houston Rockets
Point Guard – Kevin Porter Jr. | Shooting Guard – Jalen Green | Small Forward – Eric Gordon | Power Forward – Christian Wood | Center – Daniel Theis
Also check out: Complete NBA Preseason TV Schedule for 2021